A Freak like Me
by Awen Sofer
Summary: Corbeau is a freak who has finally found a home in a traveling freak show. When she meets a captivating red haired man covered with tattoos, she thinks she has found more. OC/AU M rating for chapters that will be added later
1. Welcome to the Freak Show

Welcome to the Freak Show

No one noticed the short woman in the trench coat as she skulked around the edges of the tent. She appeared even shorter due to the fact the she hunched over. It was her sad, pathetic attempt to hide the massive hump on her back but it only amplified it. She was not here just to see the freak show; she was here to become a part of it. She was searching for someone who appeared to be in charge of this traveling people zoo.

"Hey, kid!" a man wearing a top hat yelled in her direction. "Do you need some help or somethin'?"

"Uh, no," she quietly replied, keeping her head down.

"Then whaddya want?" the man demanded, appearing in front of her.

She stared at the toes of the shiny black boots in her line of vision as she stared at the ground. She desperately grasped for just a straw of courage to tell the man what she really wanted. He appeared to be the barker and quite possibly the man in charge of the whole thing. Taking a deep breath, she straightened up and raised her head to look at the man. He was extremely tall and thin with dark brown skin and a long, thin moustache above thick lips. She couldn't see his eyes because he was wearing dark round sunglasses. His hair hung in dreadlocks down his neck. He was wearing a flashy costume with bright blue pants, a white ruffled dress shirt, and a red sequined vest under a bright red jacket with tails. A smile spread across her face as she gazed at the ridiculous looking man standing before her completely ridding her of timidity and putting her at ease.

"I want to be a part of your show," she said, looking at him with her black, depthless eyes. She pushed a stray lock of her onyx black hair behind her ear.

"Listen, kid, you and everybody else wants to be a part of this show. You don't look like a freak to me. You're a very pretty girl," he stated matter of factly, uneffected by her dark blush as he rambled on. "I don't have time for this right now because the show is about to start. Come see me after the show and I might take the time to see what you have to offer. You're pretty enough to be one of our dancers in the adults only tent over there."

"But I –" she started to protest. She didn't come here to be ogled by men. At least not while stripping and wiggling her hips.

"Heck, I'm feeling generous today. I won't even make you buy a ticket. Go on in and have a seat. Tell the guy over there that Don Kanonji said to let you in. See ya later, kiddo. We'll chat then," he said and was gone in a flash. He moved as fast as he talked.

She tightened her grip on her coat, resuming her bent over position. She walked toward the short, white haired man who looked really angry. When he turned his furious aquamarine eyes on her she swallowed hard. "Excuse me, I was told to come to you by Don Kanonji. He said you would let me in," she told him in a soft, breathy voice.

The annoyed man eyed her suspiciously, looking her over as if she had propositioned him instead of requesting entrance to the show tent. He raised a white eyebrow suddenly wearing an expression of unadulterated boredom. "Yeah, you're pretty enough. I'm sure he sent you over. Go on in," he said, pulling back the flap.

She entered the tent, startled by the odor of sweaty bodies and cigarette smoke that violated her sense of smell. The dank, hot air in the tent made her feel nauseated. She picked a seat right of up front by the stage because she didn't want to miss a thing.

Don Kanonji arrived on the stage, tipping his hat toward her when he laid eyes on her. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I am about present to you the parade of freaks. If you have delicate sensibilities or are offended easily I warn you that you should leave now. I have collected some of the rarest, weirdest, and most disgusting oddities from around the world. Here's your last chance to leave folks if you think you might see something disturbing here today. Just remember what is seen cannot be unseen!" he exclaimed, pausing briefly to give people the chance to leave since they've been warned. "Well, then, we've got a house full of brave souls tonight. Let's begin!"

She sat up straight with anticipation as the odd and unusual were presented for everyone to view. Welcome to the Freak Show.

* * *

"There you are!" Don Kanonji exclaimed with genuine excitement when she appeared at the front of the show tent where she had first met him. "What's your name, kid?"

"It's Corbeau, sir," she replied politely.

"Not very imaginative is it judging by the color of your hair and eyes," he retorted rather rudely. Corbeau means raven in French. The girl looked like a raven with her shiny black eyes and glossy black hair that resembled feathers from the way it was cut.

"Believe it or not, that's not how I got my name," she said, retaining her death grip on her coat.

"All right, kid, don't keep me in suspense. Tell me."

"Well, it would be easier to show you. It would also prove why I belong here."

"Well, come on then! Might as well show everyone at once," he said, taking her gently by the arm. He pulled her toward a huge tent set part from of all of the others.

Raven stared in wide eyed awe after they entered the tent. This was the performer's tent. More people than she had seen on stage milled about in here. Some were sitting down at tables removing make up. A few had fallen asleep on the ground or on stacked hay bales. Most of the people just walked around chatting and talking with the others as they relaxed after the show.

"Hey people!" Don Kanonji bellowed, his voice carrying throughout the tent. He immediately had everyone's attention. The talking ceased and they all began to gather around with curiosity on their faces. "This is Corbeau. She would like to join our little family. Okay, kid, show us what ya got!"

Corbeau began to second guess her decision to come here. She suddenly felt very shy and embarrassed. Her eyes lit on the white haired man from earlier who had allowed her into the show. He raised an eyebrow at her, giving her something akin to a smile. She forced herself to stand up straight, running her hands through her straight black hair that hung half way down her back. She finally released her tight grip on the trench coat she was wearing, pulling it off her shoulders then allowing it to fall to the ground. Cat calls and wolf whistles broke out through the crowd as she stood before them wearing a short black skirt and black halter top that tied around her neck and waist. The black outfit, hair, and eyes were in stark contrast to her pale almost white skin.

"Is that it?" a female voice yelled which stirred up other voices of protest. "There's nothing unusual about a half-naked woman!" she yelled indignantly, stepping toward the front. Speaking of half-naked, she was wearing nothing but a thin robe that barely covered her H-cup boobs. They were ginormous! Now that was unusual!

"Shut up, Rangiku! Give the kid time!" Kanonji yelled. He saw what they could not see since he was standing behind the woman, and he was fascinated.

A soft whooshing sound then a louder flapping noise was heard as she stretched out a pair of huge birdlike wings behind her that were iridescent black like a raven's. A collective gasp made it sound as if all of the air were being sucked out of the tent. Even among freaks she was a freak. She turned her back to them so everyone could see they were actually growing out of her and not held on by straps.

"You can touch them. They're real wings. They are a part of me so please be careful," she requested as the people gathered around.

It was almost comical to see a tent full of side show freaks staring in bewilderment and wonderment at her. A very short girl, the little person who had appeared in the show, with pink hair appeared in front of her. Corbeau's attention was quickly drawn to the Tall Man who was standing behind her. She looked up, WAY up until she could see his face. He was a walking mountain with a hard craggy face to match with a scar running down the right side from his hairline to his chin. His left eye was covered with an eye patch. His shoulders were probably as wide as the little pink haired girl was tall who stood in front of him.

"Can I touch them? Will it hurt?" the little pink haired woman asked in a childlike voice. "I'm Yachiru and this is Kenny."

"Hi, Yachiru! It won't hurt as long as you don't pull," Corbeau said, smiling as the massive man picked up the girl so she could get a better look at the wings and touch them.

"This is amazing!" a male voice yelled with enthusiasm behind her.

Corbeau yelped in surprise when she felt two big hands pressed against her rear end.

"Oops! Sorry about that! That's not part of the show and tell is it?" he asked, sliding his hands up her back.

Corbeau bit her lower lip as he slid his fingers around the area of her back where the wings sprouted out. He continued to gently probe inquisitively; it tickled when he did that. She could feel his hands sliding down the top of her wing, stopping when he found the joint that enable them to fold behind her. "Hey! Stop that!" she yelled as he grabbed the opposing sides where they folded and moved them back and forth like she was a flying toy.

"Sorry," he apologized gruffly, not letting go.

Corbeau flapped the wing, pulling it out of his grip and smacking him in the face with it. She gasped when he was thrown backwards and fell to the ground hitting hard enough she actually heard it knock the breath out of him.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" It was her turn to apologize as she dropped to her knees by the man flat on his back. She had not seen him in the show but apparently he was the tattooed man because his body was covered by bold black tribal tattoos that even went across his forehead adorning the exaggerated widow's peak of his red hair. She could see they covered his arms, chest, and abdomen since he was shirtless but he was wearing a pair of jeans. Her mind immediately began picturing where else he might be covered with tattoos. His hair was red in the truest since of the word; not auburn, not orange, but red like blood or roses. It fanned out behind his head as he lay on the ground. His narrow, almond shaped eyes with brown pupils gave him a mean, wild look but after experiencing his overzealous childlike curiosity she knew he was anything but. He was definitely feral and untamed looking but not vicious or nasty.

"What's your name?" she asked after gazing at him a socially unacceptable length of time. Social graces seemed to be a non-issue considering who they were and where they were.

"Renji. Renji Abarai," he answered, jumping to his feet. "Do you want to touch me?"

Corbeau felt the heat rise back to her face. He was not shy in the least either. She did not realize she was still staring. Her eyes dropped to the ground as she blushed all over tinting her white skin a lovely pink.

"It's okay. Here," he said, grabbing her hand and placing it against his chest.

Raven felt warm, soft skin stretched over hard defined muscle under her flattened palm. She raised her eyes to look at his smooth hairless chest that was covered with the thick black tribal markings. Her wonderment won out over her discomfort, and she began tracing the marks across his chest with her forefinger. She could feel his eyes concentrating as intently on her as she was on his tattoos. "How long did it take to complete all these?" she inquired, continuing to glide her finger along his flawless golden skin marked only by the ink.

"Years. They were done just a little at the time," he replied, sliding his hand up her arm. He was as interested in her as she was in him and was letting her know.

"Did it hurt?" Her hand flattened on his broad, muscled shoulder as she walked around behind him.

"Sometimes." He wished he could see her. His skin prickled with goose bumps as her gentle fingers slid over his shoulders and down his sides.

"Just how extensive are these tattoos? How much of your body is covered?" she inquired. Her shyness was gone apparently.

"One day I'll show you," he replied suggestively, turning to look at her. He held her face in his hands, staring into her bottomless obsidian eyes. She had the sharp, shiny black eyes like her namesake. He would guess that she saw so many things others didn't with those eyes. "I guess you'll be joining our little family, Raven."

"I suppose so." She had no objections to the nickname. She had been called that before and far worse.

Since he mentioned family, both of them were thinking how nice it would be to start a family of their own together. What would the children look like? That alone would be interesting to see. More freaks for the Freak Show but beautiful ones with red hair and black wings. The tattoos could be added later. Has she finally found a home? Maybe more?


	2. Meeting the Freaks

Meeting the Freaks

"Why don't you let me show you around and introduce you to a few people," Renji suggested, grabbing her by the hand.

Corbeau resigned herself to just hang on and enjoy the ride as he pulled her along belong him. This man was intense in every way. The way he looked, the way he moved, the way he reacted to things. Everything about him spoke of fervor and passion. Her eyes stared at the brawny muscles of his back as he moved. The muscles rippled underneath the tattoos that ran across his shoulder blades and down both sides of his spine as he walked. The tribal markings going across the lower part of his back were only partially visible above his jeans. Her eyes settled on his amazingly sculpted behind in the very low slung tight jeans. Very nice.

"Hey, hey! Sui Feng! I would tell you to get your ass off your shoulders but I'm sure you've heard it a thousand times before," he joked.

Corbeau gaped at the tiny woman with short black hair and two long braids that were laid over the platform where she was basically sitting on her chin and chest and her behind was literally on her shoulders; a contortionist and a very good one. She was one of the side show performers that was a part of the freak show.

"Nice to meet you," Sui Feng said offering her tiny foot to shake instead of her hand.

Corbeau laughed as the girl winked and smiled at her. It was so nice to meet friendly, accepting people. It was quite a change from the stares of disgust or people shrinking away from her in fear. After all these years, maybe she had found a home and a family. A pretty black cat appeared from nowhere, rubbing against her legs and meowing for attention. "Oh, where did you come from?" she asked bending down to pet the kitty's sleek black head.

"Step back," Renji warned, taking her by the arm.

"What?" Corbeau asked, confused.

A large cloud of white smoke exploded around the cat covering it and blocking it from view. A pretty, petite woman with long purple hair, dark skin and unusual golden eyes stepped out of the cloud of smoke. She was completely naked but didn't seem to notice or care as she boldly strode with her hand out toward the shocked winged woman.

Corbeau squealed with surprised, jumping back into Renji's waiting arms. He had been ready for this reaction.

"I wouldn't expect a girl with wings to be surprised by a woman who transforms from a cat. I'm Yoruichi," she said pleasantly, shaking the newcomer's hand.

"Yoruichi is our resident nudist. You'll get used to it," Renji said, laughing as a shirt flew through the air from somewhere and landed on Yoruichi's head.

Corbeau looked over to see a blond headed man walking their way with a green and white striped bucket hat on his head that hid most of his face. He wore a black coat over his dark green shirt and short pants despite the fact it was a hot summer day.

"Oh, that's where it came from. This is Yoruichi's husband, Kisuke," her red headed tour guide informed her.

"So wonderful to meet you, my dear," he said, kissing the back of Corbeau's hand after he took it in his.

"Watch out for him. He's a real flirt," his wife warned, smacking him across the back of the head.

Corbeau smiled at them and waved a good-bye as she was pulled along by Renji. She wasn't paying attention to where she was walking and collided with someone. Her guide was falling down on his job.

"I'm so…" she began her apology but the rest died on her tongue as she stared up into the face of a wolf that stood on two legs in a body shaped liked a man's. It looked even more strange (as if that were possible) to see him dressed in jeans and combat boots with a button down shirt on that he had left open.

"I'm Sajin Komamura," he said, taking her hand in his fur covered one. "Although I'm a wolf, they bill me as the Dog-Faced Man. Nice to meet you, Angel."

"My name is Corbeau," she corrected, staring into his golden eyes. She didn't flinch or pull away as he touched her face with his hand.

"I know. But you look like an angel to me," he murmured, sliding his hand down her neck.

The fur tickled her neck. "Can I touch you? Do you mind?" she inquired. Curiosity had made her bold and fearless.

"Can you pet me?" he asked, obviously amused and not offended. He pulled off his shirt to reveal his torso to her and to invite her to do what she had asked.

Corbeau reached up to put her hands on his face on either side of his long snout as she examined it. It was real! This was the first freak show she had come to where the freaks were actually real and not regular people with bad prosthetics or pitiful make up jobs. Where did they all come from? Her hands slid down his neck over the soft fur, luxuriating in the feel of it beneath her searching hands. Her fingers disappeared into the copious amounts of silky hair as she moved them down his chest and belly. She heard a low sound like a whine come from him as her hands moved across the top of his jeans and started back up his belly.

"I could do this all day," she murmured under her breath, feeling his fingers in her hair. She smiled when he grunted with satisfaction as she curled her fingers into the fur. "You're so soft."

"Yeah, but I bet one part of him is pretty damn hard right about now," Renji grumbled, snatching Corbeau away by the arm.

Sajin growled at Renji, baring his teeth at the man and his abrupt and very unwelcome appearance.

"Down, doggy," Renji commanded rudely.

"Asshole," Sajin growled at him, baring even more of his teeth. "I'll see you later, Angel."

"Bye, Sajin!" Corbeau called behind her since she was being dragged away. She pulled her hand out of Renji's, halting in her tracks. She crossed her arms over her chest while she stared at him like a defiant child. "Excuse me, but I don't belong to you."

"What is wrong with you? You're so damn naïve. Have you been locked in a cage somewhere?" he asked, regretting it when he saw the hurt come into her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. You weren't...were you?"

"Yeah. Actually I was. My parents sold me to the owner of a circus with a freak show when I was thirteen. The man who bought me even had the audacity to lock in me in a cage that looked like one of those fancy gilded birdcages that old ladies buy. It had a swing and everything," she snorted derisively from painful memory. "I was locked up for seven years until I finally escaped. I've been alone, running scared, for nearly a year."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, sliding his hand down her arm. He wanted to ask more questions but decided against it.

"You didn't know. How could you know? I just got here right?" she sniffed, looking into his sad brown eyes with her teary black ones. "I'm sure everyone here has a tragic story to tell. I can't be the only one."

"No, you're not. But not all of us have a sad tale of unfortunate circumstances or a terrible past. Some of us are freaks by choice. Like me. I chose to get all of these tattoos," he admitted, holding her hands between his as he looked at her. "There are all kinds of people here. There are people like Kenpachi and Yachiri whose size can be explained by science. Then there are people like me who chose to be different. And there are people here like Yoruichi, Sajin, and you. You are the real deal. There's no explanation for you. You are the true freaks."

"Thanks. I think," she said, lowering her gaze from his. "We can only be explained by science fiction. Not science."

"I don't mean that as a bad thing, Raven," he murmured, touching her face.

Corbeau liked that he called her Raven, the meaning of her name. Sajin had made her heart skip a beat when he called her Angel. He had been a very nice surprise for her. She had been called blackbird, crow, jackdaw, even buzzard a time or two. Never a complimentary nickname.

"Come on. There's a lot more people to meet. Your new family is quite large and extensive," he informed her. He pulled her into his arms, brushing lips across hers with the lightest touch. "Welcome home. I'm glad you came."

* * *

By nightfall, Corbeau was exhausted and her head was swimming from all of the names and faces of the people she had met. They were strolling across the big vacant lot between the show tents and the parking lot filled with the motor homes, pop up campers, other various vehicles that the performers and workers of the huge freak show and side show were staying in. She was so weary and exhausted. Her feet and legs were sore from all of the walking.

"Do you want to stay with me?" he inquired, staring straight ahead as they walked.

"That would be great. I was just wondering what I was going to do," she said, breathing a deep sigh of relief. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all," he rejoined, taking her by the hand to lead her to his brand new red and white motor coach. Everyone fussed at him for wasting money on something so big for one person. He argued that he did not want to be alone all his life. Hopefully his future had arrived and it had a black pair of wings.

"Nice," Corbeau commented when she noticed that there was a pin stripe detailing around the top and bottom edges of the whole RV just like his tattoos. She walked up the two metal steps into the house on wheels.

"Can you fly?" he inquired with the consuming curiosity like that of a child.

Corbeau smiled. She loved that about him. He was so open and so sweet. "They are more decorative than functional," she admitted, turning to look at him when he entered the RV behind her.

"Do you want to take a shower?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound like a horny pervert.

"That would be great. Damn it," she muttered. "I don't have any clothes."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you," Renji assured her. "Just go take a shower. I'll find something for you to put on."

Corbeau did as he suggested, keeping her wings tucked in tightly in the small space that served as a shower while the hot water beat down on her. It felt so good to her tired, sore body. She had felt so grimy and dirty between the sweat and the fine dusting of dirt that had gathered on her skin. When she got out, she wrapped one towel around her waist and held another one across her front. She found a tank top that he cut the straps on so they were long enough to tie behind her neck to hold it up. She almost giggled at the black silk boxers with the red flames running up the legs. To think he would wear something like that was beyond funny. She dried off and dressed in a hurry to get out of the cramped space.

"Thank you," she told him when she found him lying on the bed.

"You're welcome. Come lay down while I get a shower. I know you're tired," he said.

Corbeau lay down on the bed groaning loudly because the soft bed felt so good. "Oh, this feels so wonderful!" she cried out as if she were in ecstasy, wiggling around on the bed like a dog trying to find its sweet spot to lie down in.

"Oh, dear god," he muttered under his breath as he watched her. He decided a cold shower would be in order.

Corbeau finally found a comfortable position on her side with one of the big thick pillows held between her legs. She grabbed the other pillow to hug and snuggle into. She wondered what it would feel like to do this to Renji. With a hint of a smile on her lips and the pillow grasped tightly in her fingers, she fell asleep.

Renji got out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist and leaving his hair to drip down his naked chest and back. He smiled at the woman passed out in his bed. Since she was dead asleep he did not bother going anywhere else to dry off and get dressed. Too bad he didn't know she was a light sleeper.

Corbeau cracked open one eye to see a nicely shaped tanned backside with tattoos on it filling her vision. She was immediately wide awake and staring. His dripping wet hair was plastered to his back. For the first time, she was able to see the tattoos covering his lower half. She watched him dry off then wrap the towel around his soaking wet hair. Her eyes snapped shut when he suddenly turned to face her. She pretended to be asleep, and it was so hard not to open her eyes because she wanted to see him. Her heart skipped a beat as the bed shifted when he sat down right beside her. He was so close the warmth from his body radiated into her skin. She held her breath as he lay down behind her putting an arm around her waist to hold her close. A giggle almost bubbled out of her when he unceremoniously snatched the pillow from between her legs. It was suddenly very unfunny and rather arousing when he nudged his leg between hers, pressing his thigh firmly between hers to replace the pillow. This situation was quite disconcerting in its intimate and arousing nature. Her body began to tremble.

"Are you awake?" Renji whispered, his breath tickling her neck.

"No," she whispered back, making him snort when he attempted to stifle a chuckle.

"Do you want me to move?"

"No."

Renji snuggled against her and despite their decidedly compromising and somewhat stimulating position, they fell asleep that way.


	3. Leaving Town

Leaving Town

Raven whined when Renji began shaking her gently and calling her name. She felt his lips cover hers and that woke her up more effectively than a bucket of cold water would have. Her sleepy black eyes met amused brown ones. She hugged him thinking how his appearance did not fit him at all because he was a real goofball – but a drop dead sexy one.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty!" Renji exclaimed, giving her another peck on the lips.

Corbeau opened her eyes looking around in confusion at the dimly lit room. It was still gray from the light of dawn. "What time is it?" she groaned, sitting up in the bed.

"Five thirty. It's moving day. We're leaving to go to the next city. Come on, baby, we gotta go help," he said, pulling her off the bed and into his arms.

Corbeau grunted, snuggling against his warm bare chest as he held her. She wrapped her wings around the both of them, enclosing them in a feathery cocoon.

"Oh, don't make this any harder than it already is," he grumbled, hugging her tightly. "I'd love to still be in the bed with my arms wrapped around you. Maybe we could have even …"

"Hey! Renji! Is the bird girl with you?" a man yelled, bursting into the RV without even knocking.

"Dammit, man! What the hell would you have done if we had been in the middle of _something_?" Renji angrily shouted.

"Watched," he answered bluntly, leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom. The man's brown eyes swept over the bird girl as he had called her with approval and interest.

"That pervert right there is my best friend I'm ashamed to say. His name is Ichigo," Renji told her, holding her possessively.

Corbeau, peeking at him over her wing, smiled at the orange haired man who was staring at her. Such interesting people here. She had not seen this man yesterday and wondered where he had come from. Of course there were so many people here, and she had only met the performers yesterday.

"Come on, Sunshine, let's go!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands loudly. "You can go help some of the ladies pack up and get ready to go."

"And you'll do manly things? Like pitch tents, oops! I mean take down tents and things like that," she shot back, folding her wings behind her and relinquishing her grip on the handsome red head in her arms.

"Ooooh, feisty," he mumbled, glancing at his friend. "Dude! Let's go! Kanonji wants to be on the road by eight. Nice meeting you, Birdy."

"Yeah, you too, Itchy…what was your name?" she inquired, smiling as his lips thinned into a line of aggravation. She knew his name; she just wanted to see that reaction.

"I-chi-go!" He sounded it out for her.

"Later, I-chi-go!" she exclaimed, blatantly mocking him.

"You're going out like that?" Renji asked referring to his silk boxers and braless tank top she wore.

"Well, yeah, Red. I don't have anything else," she replied with a 'duh' tone to her voice.

"Smart ass," he grumbled, watching her walk away.

"You've got yourself a mess of trouble there, buddy," Ichigo warned him, watching her walk away as well.

"Don't make me punch you."

* * *

Corbeau entered the performer's tent asking where she could help. Her arm was grabbed by Sui Feng who requested her assistance with packing all of her props for her contortionist act. She was bending over the huge crate placing a small silver stand in the packing hay when she heard a tsking noise behind her.

"Sugar, what in the hell are you wearing?" a female voice asked as she was standing up. Rangiku was standing behind her with a look of pity on her face for the young woman.

"I don't have anything else. I even had to borrow this," she explained, suddenly feeling very self-conscious under the scrutiny of the big mouthed, busty blond from yesterday. At least the woman was dressed today even though it was a low cut shirt that gave everyone a generous view of her copious cleavage whether they wanted it or not and tight jeans that showed off her behind wonderfully if the attention could drawn away from her breasts.

"From who? That redheaded boyfriend of yours?" she snorted derisively.

Boyfriend? She just met him yesterday. Does Renji think he's her boyfriend as well? The thought made her smile because she quite liked the idea.

"Come on! I'll fix you up!" Rangiku offered, seizing her wrist and dragging her along behind her.

Why do people insist on dragging her everywhere? She was a little on the short side but she could still manage to walk fast and keep up with them when necessary. Her eyes widened as she was pulled into the small dressing tent that apparently belonged to Rangiku alone who must be a prized feather in the proverbial cap of Don Kanonji. With her big honking hooters, Corbeau imagined the woman could make it rain money in the Hoochie Coochie tent. Seriously? They still call it that? Rangiku was a stripper, plain and simple. It hadn't been called the Hoochie Coochie dance since the early twentieth century but Kanonji as trying to harken back to the glory days of side shows to awaken that sense of nostalgia in patrons.

"Here, put this on," Rangiku barked, handing her what looked like a pile of string and strips of cloth. "If it will cover me, it will cover you."

"Band aids and yarn would cover more than this would. Especially on you," Corbeau remarked sarcastically.

"Do you want to stay in the boxers and ripped up wife beater? Just put it on," she ordered, her blue eyes sparkling happily. She was having fun with the new girl because she liked her.

Corbeau undressed right in front of the woman who did not even turn away. They were both women and were both comfortable with naked bodies. How could a stripper and not be comfortable with the naked body? The winged woman had gotten accustomed to being naked in front of strangers after being studied like a science experiment when she was still a child. That was before her parents gave up and could not handle her _affliction _anymore because there was no cure for her physical anomaly. Perhaps she was the product of a science experiment to begin with. Her father was a geneticist who dealt with theoretical genetic research so that was definitely plausible. She never asked if it was his fault she had wings, and at this point it did not really matter. She is whatever she is and there is no changing it.

"There! Isn't that better?" her new friend with the honey colored hair inquired, tying the strings behind her back that ran just under her wings.

"It looks like a gold bikini. Can I at least have a skirt?" she inquired and would have begged. She felt ridiculous. The clothes she had on before covered a whole lot more than this thing.

"Here's a scarf. You're little. Use it like a sarong, Let me show you," she offered, wrapping the big piece of red and gold material around Corbeau's waist then brought it up to criss cross it over her chest and tie it behind her neck. "There you have it! You now have a pretty halter dress. All right gorgeous, you can help me pack."

Of course. Corbeau already saw this coming but she did not mind helping. How heavy could clothes and make-up be? She would be shocked and exhausted to find out. By the time she completed helping Rangiku, the men had arrived to take down her tent.

"Hi, gorgeous! Nice dress! Where's your boyfriend?" Ichigo inquired, panting slightly while sweat trickled down his face. It was barely seven in the morning, and it felt as if the temperature was already well into the eighties.

"I don't know. I've been busy," she replied, biting her lower lip when he suddenly grabbed his sweat soaked t shirt and pulled it off. "Oh, god." It was out before she could stop herself.

"Not quite, but close," he murmured, giving her a wink.

Crap! Just what the egotist needed to boost his already inflated sense of self. It would not be so bad if he wasn't close to being right. He looked like a bronze god in the sun with his golden skin and the sweat glistening on his body.

"What are you looking at?" Renji whispered in her ear, holding in his arms when she jumped back into him with a scream. "Holy hell! I would have thought you'd be over the jitters by now."

"You scared me!" she exclaimed, struggling out of his arms because he was sopping wet with sweat.

"Want me to kiss it and make it better?" he joked, pulling her against his hot, sweaty body.

"Ugh! Not until have you've had a shower! Gross," she grumbled, pushing him away.

"Don't you love me?" he pouted, holding on to her.

"Not that much!" she shrieked, leaning away from him as he tried to kiss her.

"All right kids! We have an hour to get the rest torn down and packed up! Move it people!" Don Kanonji bellowed, appearing from nowhere.

"Does he always do that?" Corbeau asked, gaping at the man in shock from his sudden appearance.

"Yes, yes, he does. Gotta go, baby. See ya later," Renji said, stealing a quick kiss from her lips.

"Angel!" a deep booming voice yelled across the almost empty field.

Corbeau giddily ran toward the attractive wolf man who had captivated her from the moment she had laid eyes on him. She was not sure what had captured her about the peculiar man, but she definitely felt drawn to him. Maybe he was a kindred spirit because he was an incredible oddity like her that could not hide what made them different. He really had no chance of hiding his at all.

"Hello, Wolfie," she called, throwing herself into his furry arms.

"Hello there, Angel," he replied, pushing her hair back from her face. If anyone else but her had called him Wolfie he would have ripped their throat out. Especially that red headed boyfriend of hers. "Can you help me?"

"Of course. What do I need to do?" she asked exuberantly.

"Will you carry these for me?" he inquired, handing her two boxes that were surprisingly light for their size.

"Sure. Where do I take them?"

"Follow me."

Corbeau followed him just like he requested. She saw that he was leading her to what she guessed was his small RV with a scene of wolves howling at the moon airbrushed on the side. Since these vehicles were their homes, the people took a lot of pride in them to make them as nice as possible. Without a second thought, she climbed right on in when he opened the door for her.

"Thank you," he said, taking the boxes from her and setting them on what was a couch and a seat at the table that folded down from the wall. He surprised her by taking her by the arms and setting her on the small counter so she was closer to his face.

"Sajin, what are you doing?" she asked, apprehension tickling her spine as he pushed himself between her legs. It was not the fear he might hurt her; she was afraid of how her body was reacting to him. He stirred an impulse, an appetite within her – for him. The itty bitty string bikini beneath her makeshift dress would not be a barrier in the least if he decided he wanted her which it seemed he had.

"Be careful who you trust, Angel," he murmured in her face, his cold wet nose grazing her cheek.

Corbeau shivered while he silently stared at her, touching her face with his hand. She slid her hand up his belly, pushing him back gently as his golden eyes roamed down her half clothed body. "Please don't do this," she begged, staring into his eyes when they returned to hers.

"I would never hurt you. Don't be so damn naïve anymore. Please, be careful," he advised her. He stuck out his long canine tongue licking her from between her breasts up to her neck.

Holy crap! That was very bizarre to say the least. And strangely stimulating. Oh, good god. She truly was member of the freakiest place on the earth. Her body trembled when she looked into his luminescent golden eyes that were gazing deeply into hers.

"I-I h-have t-to…" Damn! Why can't she talk? All she could think about was the other arousing possibilities that tongue had. "C-can I l-leave?" she stammered, unable to move from the counter because if she even inched forward the slightest bit she would be pressed against him beneath his waist. She could only imagine what intriguing potential was held there. Her eyes stayed on his so they would not roam over him or give any hint to what she was thinking. She held her breath as he leaned forward, burying his nose in her hair. His warm breath puffed across her neck and chest as he sniffed and inhaled deeply. How stupid of her! He is half wolf - he does not have to be a mind reader; he would be able to smell that she is aroused. Corbeau gasped when she felt his soft furry hand sliding up her thigh and tickling her. "Sajin, please," she pled with him, leaning back as if that would help. Instead it drew his attention to her breasts as the dress opened.

"Please what, Angel? Stop? Or go?" he asked, putting his other hand on her belly.

"Raven!" Renji's voice could be heard calling in the distance. "Corbeau!"

Sajin silently put his hands around her small waist and set her down on the floor. "It seems you want me as much I want you. Avoid being alone with me in the future," he warned her with disquieting tranquility. "Red Riding Hood trusted the Big Bad Wolf, remember?"

"So are you saying I shouldn't trust you?" she inquired, standing with her back to him and her hand on the door handle.

"I'm saying you should stay away unless you want to get eaten up," he replied, lifting the hair from the back of her neck. "In a good way," he added in a growling seductive manner before licking across the back of her neck.

OH MY GOD! Corbeau opened the door, leaning against it after slamming it to catch her breath. She felt as if she might faint her body was so hot yet she shook uncontrollably.

"Hey, what were you doing with dog breath?" he asked, looking down at her. Her face was really red. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just really hot," she answered, sliding her arms around his waist.

"It is hot as hell out here already. Did he try to hurt you?" He moved her out of the way and was about to snatch open the door to confront the man…wolf…dog…whatever the hell Sajin truly is, he intended on kicking his furry ass.

"No, of course not. I was helping him load some of his stuff. He told me this really weird version of Red Riding Hood that kind of freaked me out," she lied, pulling on Renji to try to lead him away. She guessed Sajin had allowed his animal instincts to take over and acted upon them, nothing more than that. She had almost acted upon hers as well.

Thankfully, Don Kanonji showed up to distract them both from the Sajin thing. He yelled at them, "Come on, come on, kids! To your vehicle! This show is pulling out and leaving town!"


	4. The New Town

New Town, New Family

"Where the hell are we?" Renji asked.

"I'm not really sure," Ichigo answered.

"Do you think they can talk?" Corbeau inquired. She was referring to the three kids that had strolled up and hunkered down in front of them to just stare without saying a word.

She, Renji, and Ichigo had been sitting side by side under a big oak tree in the shade to rest. They had just pulled into their new destination and everyone was taking a break before they would begin setting up. The three inquisitive children had wandered onto the site and were now sitting across from them just staring at them. The children were filthy as if they had been rolling in the dirt. The boys were dressed in faded, torn overalls and the little girl had on a dirty gingham dress. Her eyes were brown and her hair might be blond but it was hard to tell from all of the dirt and oil in the tangled stringy mess. The boys had dark hair that looked like it was just growing back out from being completely shaved off. They both had huge blue eyes. The adults were staring back just as hard at the children who they viewed as being very unusual and strange.

Even though Ichigo was not technically a freak, his bright orange hair was definitely eye catching. The tattooed man could capture the attention of young and old without saying a word. Renji could look a little frightening as well. And the woman? Corbeau unfurled her wings, straightening them out so the children could see them. The boy and girl on either side of what she guessed was their older brother, rolled back onto their behinds in surprise with a gasp as they stared wide eyed at her. The older boy had no reaction at all. He appeared to be around fourteen, and he continued to chew on the grass stalk in his mouth looking just like a cow while doing so. His bored, dark blue eyes never left the face of the woman with wings.

"Inbreeders?" Ichigo asked.

"Possibly," Renji replied. "They do look…odd."

"So it would be Brother-Daddy and Sister-Mama which would make these three siblings and cousins all at the same time?" Ichigo ventured. He and Renji visibly cringed at the thought with an audible 'ewww.'

"Shut up, you morons!" Corbeau snapped, looking at the two younger ones who were smiling sweetly at her. She avoided Big Brother's intense scrutiny; he was beginning to scare her. "Don't be mean," she chided the two men on either side of her. "I'm sure they aren't deaf."

"No, we ain't deaf," Big Brother spoke suddenly making the three adults nearly jump out of their skin from being startled. "We ain't stupid neither."

Really? Corbeau bit her lip to hold back a snarky comment. This boy was only a child and she would not say anything insulting.

"You people are weird. You are downright perty, ma'am," Big Brother said to Corbeau.

"Thank you. Are you going to come back to the show later with your parents?" she inquired.

"We don't have any parents. It's just been us for about two months now. They went to the store one night and never came back," the younger brother said.

"What?" Corbeau cried out. She glanced at the men on either side of her.

"Don't even think about it," Renji warned her. "They're people, not puppies. Don Kanonji would kill us if we brought stray anything home! Especially more people."

"They're just kids. Please, honey," she begged.

Renji glared at her. When he had thoughts of having a family, he never dreamed it would start this way. He never even had nightmares that it would start this way. He had wanted to do it the old fashioned way: having lots of mind blowing sex with the woman with wings and getting her pregnant. That was the preferred method. Not this. They haven't even had sex yet. He pouted at that thought. He had been hoping tonight would be the night if they were not completely exhausted from setting up. That possibility was crashing and burning right before his very eyes.

"No! Absolutely not!" he shouted with resolve, standing up so he could avoid looking into her pleading eyes. "I don't want Kanonji crawling my ass about this. No."

* * *

Hours later they were sitting in the food service tent at a picnic table with the ravenous children sitting across from them. The three people were staring at them again as the kids practically inhaled their food. How long had it been since these children had eaten last?

"Oh, Corbeau! Wherever did you find these! They're adorable!" Rangiku commented, sitting down beside the oldest sibling of the trio who had identified himself as Hanatoro.

"They're people, not puppies," Corbeau said, receiving a nudge in the ribs from Renji's elbow. She smiled as Hanatoro stared wide eyed at the woman sitting next to him. The boy _can_ have a reaction to something. It just takes the right, uh, stimulus to elicit a reaction. His big indigo blue eyes were glued to her humungous décolletage which was pressed against his body and pushing him into his sister, Hiyori. The youngest, Rin, snorted and blushed as he looked away from the beautiful and well-endowed woman.

Corbeau had found clean clothes for the children by asking around and getting them from some of the performers and workmen. After much bitching and fussing from her red haired boyfriend, they had taken a shower in his RV to get cleaned up. She had talked to Don Kanonji about the children which angered Renji all the more because the man was allowing them to stay. He should have known the man would show favoritism to the woman who would probably be his new star attraction. Several people had offered to keep the children, and she would probably have to take them up on that offer to soothe things over with the aggravated human artwork at her side. They were children and they needed someone. She could not have lived with herself if she had just left them there to continue to fend and scavenge for themselves like little animals.

"Can I have one of them?" Rangiku asked, looking down at Hanatoro who had a dark red coloring creeping up his neck to his face.

"No. They're a set. You have to take them all," Renji snapped, receiving a sharp elbow in the ribs from his winged girlfriend. "Ouch! You're mean! I didn't hurt you."

"How old are you again?" she snapped, glaring at him. This offer, however, she could not accept. She was afraid Rangiku was going to eat the boy alive if she did not scare him to death first. "No. I don't think that would be a good idea. I think Kisuke and Yoruichi are going to take them for tonight."

Corbeau wasn't exactly lying; the couple had offered to let the children stay with them in their huge motor home. She just had not committed to anything yet. Her eyes caught sight of the couple on the other side of the tent, and she decided now was the time to commit to save Hanatoro from the cougar eyeing him hungrily.

"Kisuke! Yoruichi!" she called, running over to them.

"Hi, sweetie! What's up?" Yoruichi inquired when she sat down at the table with them.

"Can the kids stay with you tonight? Rangiku wants to stake a claim on Hanatoro, and I'm afraid he would become a sex slave," she explained.

"Oh, come on, Corbeau," Kisuke spoke up with a lecherous grin on his face. "He's a fourteen year old boy. Let him enjoy himself. Rangiku won't hurt him. Much."

"Pervert!" both women yelled, slapping him across the back of the head.

"Dammit!" he yelled, rubbing the back of his head while he was getting up to leave. "It's like having two wives now. As if one wasn't bad enough."

"What did you say?" his wife growled.

"I love you, dear!" he exclaimed without turning back as he walked away.

"You better!" she hollered back at him. The shape shifter turned her attention to Corbeau. "Sure. We'll be happy to take them. I'm afraid we'll never be able to have our own children so it would be nice to have a family. Even a temporary one."

"Thank you. I'll let them know."

* * *

"Tomorrow is your first performance," Renji said as he held her in bed that night. "Are you nervous?"

They were both physically tired but their minds were fully awake and racing with random thoughts so neither could sleep.

"Terribly. I can't imagine how nervous I will be when it's time to go out on the stage. Renji?" She could see his face perfectly in the moonlight streaming through the open window above the bed. Her fingers traced the contours of his severe yet handsome facial features.

"What is it, baby?" he inquired, opening his eyes to look at her.

"Do you want me? I mean in the relationship sense not the physical sense," she stated nervously feeling like a harebrained idiot. How hard is it to ask 'am I really your girlfriend?' Hinting at sex was so much less embarrassing.

"Yes," he answered bluntly, pulling her closer as he looked into her eyes. "I want you in all ways, every day, for now and forever."

Corbeau gaped at him. The shockingly romantic answer had taken her by surprise. Just when she thought she had this man figured out. And they say women are confusing. She closed her eyes when his lips touched hers. So far all she had received was brief innocent kisses that warmed her heart and made her body tingle. When his hand slid down her back to cup her behind, she could already tell this was not going to be one of those kisses. She sighed as his mouth moved across hers, teasing her lips with a gentle kiss until he suddenly pressed his mouth against hers while sliding his tongue through her lips. Oh, dear god. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he moved against her to let her know how much he wanted her.

"Are you ready for this?" Renji asked, untying the bow behind her neck that held up her thin cotton nightgown.

"Yes," she whispered, biting her lower lip with anticipation of what he would do next. She closed her eyes when he bent to kiss her again on the lips before he slowly trailed kisses down her neck. Her brain was screaming at her that her body wanted him to get on with it and take her already. She called his name pleadingly as his lips neared her breast. How could he be taking this much time? She was sure he wanted it even more then she did, and she felt like a raging inferno of want and need at this time. Her breath was coming in shallow gasps by the time he finished working his way around her breast, pressing kisses to the firm roundness in concentric circles until he reached the hard, painfully throbbing nipple that needed his touch.

"Oh, Renji!" she cried out when he finally covered the oversensitive flesh with his mouth and tongue. That alone almost made her go off into a full blown climax. Her body did shiver and writhe underneath his hot, wet mouth as he licked, sucked, and nibbled the very aroused nipple. She was panting by the time he decided to make his way to the other one. Her hands moved over his chest, savoring the feel of his silky smooth skin and the taut muscles working underneath. Her fingers roamed lower, drawing a moan from his throat as they traced and studied every hard ripple on his abdomen. A smile curled her lips when her fingers brushed over the soft fabric of his silk boxer shorts. This man was a paradox all unto himself.

"Raven," he whispered when her fingers pressed against his pelvis and slipped under the elastic waist band. He squeezed her arms gently as he held onto her while her fingers wrapped around his pulsing hardness. "Oh, god, Corbeau," he gasped, looking at her face in the silvery moonlight. "I need you."

Corbeau pushed him over on his back. She kissed his lips, catching his eyes for a meaningful gaze before she straddled his hips to take him inside of her. Her eyes held his until the pleasure was too much, and he closed them as he released a loud sigh of gratification. She started moving up and down greedily watching every expression that flitted across his face. From the soft dreamy look of satisfying bliss to the pinched look of pain as he tried to hold back from releasing inside of her, she watched it all and it aroused her even more. Her body responded to him magnificently, anticipating and acting accordingly to his every move. When his hips thrust up at her, she was coming down to grind against him with a delicious friction at the end that sent a burst of pleasure through both of them.

"Oh, Renji, you're even more fantastic than I thought you would be," she murmured, moving faster on top of him as he thrust into her harder while holding her down on him.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You really do look like an angel right now," he said, staring at her in awe in the bright white moonlight that made her wings and her pale face shine with an other worldly light.

"Well, we're both about to get a whole lot closer to heaven. Oh, god," she gasped, feeling the release of the orgasm inside of her. She rammed herself down on him hard to amplify the sensations coursing through her body which caused him to come undone and explode into an orgasm of his own.

"Oh, Corbeau," he whispered, pulling her down on top of him. He dotted her face with small, sweet kisses before laying a forceful, passionate kiss on her lips. "I just made love to an angel and man, was it great."

Corbeau laughed despite herself. Leave it to him to punctuate an emotional, romantic moment with something silly. She believed she would be disappointed if he had not done so. "Renji, is it too early to say I love you?" she inquired, looking at him as he held her close.

"It's about time you said it," he joked, nuzzling her neck and kissing her. "I've wanted to say it since I first met you."


	5. A Show They'll Never Forget

A Show They'll Never Forget

"OH, HELL NO, KANONJI! I WON'T DO IT, I WON'T!" Corbeau's voice could be heard all over the grounds the next day. She stared at the huge birdcage sitting backstage with vicious hatred and disgust on her face. Her face was red and her eyes appeared as if they were about to pop right out of her head. Her wings were spread and it appeared she was either going to beat him to death with those wings or take flight.

"What's going on in here?" Renji demanded, throwing back the tent flap that led to backstage where the two people were having a standoff. He saw the birdcage and immediately understood the problem. "What the hell is that?"

"I want her to get into that for her introduction. She can come out after she's pulled out onto the stage," Don Kanonji explained.

"No," Renji answered with a sharp edge to his voice that would not allow for argument.

Corbeau's attention turned to Renji as a fierceness took him over giving him a feral, beast like appearance. His eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed while he stood up straight and tall with his shoulders pulled back and his chest puffed out. He looked like he was ready to tear the gangly man limb from limb. She halfway expected him to beat his chest and throw leaves next in a physical statement of his animalistic dominance.

"Come up with something better, and I'll change my mind. If not, she goes out in the cage," the man conceded after a few minutes of being stared down.

Renji swung his gaze to Corbeau who confidently replied, "I've got just the thing. You're gonna love it!"

* * *

"Rangiku, I need to borrow some – Oh, holy hell!" Corbeau yelled, inadvertently walking in on her friend and Toshiro having sex. She covered her glowing red face and swiftly retreated from the tent. She shook her head to try to erase the image of the white haired man having his way with her friend who had been enjoying herself immensely. The thought occurred to her that the two of them could never have sex in any kind of standing position due to the height difference. A snort escaped her as she stifled the giggle that bubbled up from the wondering of her dirty little mind.

"Don't laugh," Rangiku said with a big grin of satisfaction on her face. "What he lacks in height he makes up for with extra inches somewhere else."

"Oh?" Corbeau inquired, unable to say anything else before snickering.

"I call him Tripod," she answered, raising her eyebrows.

"Tripod? Really?" she snorted, unconvinced. Her friend held up her hands to indicate his size like an old man telling a fish story. She estimated the woman's hands to be about eight or nine inches apart. "REALLY?"

"Really," Toshiro said, appearing out of the tent. He stole one last kiss from Rangiku as he walked by.

Corbeau yelped with surprise and pain when he delivered a stinging slap to her behind when he walked past her. Amazingly enough that helped counter her devastating embarrassment.

"Bye, bye, Birdy! Good luck at the show tonight!" he yelled without looking back.

Men around this place had a tendency to do that. They had an annoying habit of pissing off the women then not even looking back to accept the death glares thrown their way like real men.

"What did you need, sugar?" her friend asked.

"I need to borrow a costume for tonight. I thought you might have something I could wear," she explained with a hopeful look on her face. The size difference in breasts didn't matter anyway because all of Rangiku's costumes only covered her nipples and that was by choice.

"Anything in particular. Color? Material? Sequins?"

"Black leather?"

Rangiku's eyes lit up. She took her friend by the arm, pulling her into her dressing tent. "I've got the perfect thing for you."

* * *

"You're so hot," Renji whispered, kissing her neck as they waited backstage.

"Yes, yes, I am," she groused, fanning herself with her hand although it did no good whatsoever. Between the stifling heat and humidity mixed with her nervousness, she thought she might faint.

"I mean sexy. Damn! We're going back to the RV right quick and in a hurry when our performance is over," he warned her, skimming his hand over her leather clad breast. She was dressed in a super short and tight pair of black leather shorts and a leather vest. The knee high leather boots she wore were about to drive him crazy. After seeing her in that outfit, she had convinced him to wear a pair of black leather pants, no shirt, and black biker boots to go out on stage with her. It was so totally not fair that she waited until she was in costume to ask him. He would have agreed to anything she asked him at that point. She had braided his hair into one thick long braid that she kept toying with while they were waiting.

Corbeau was too nervous to notice him feeling her up as they waited for their introduction. She paced back and forth apprehensively like a caged animal. She could only walk so far away from Renji because he was holding the end of a chain that was fastened securely around her waist. Maybe the birdcage would have been more appropriate all the way around. Her heart beat against her ribs with anxiety as Kenny and Yachiru walked by having completed their appearance.

"Good luck," Yachiru said, giving her a quick hug.

Kenny nodded an acknowledgement and that was as far as he went with his wish of good luck which was a relief to Corbeau. She would be afraid the big man would crush her into dust if he tried to hug her.

"Ladies and gentleman, I have a special treat for you. Many believe angels exist, and I have proof that they do. Feast your eyes on our beautiful dark angel, Corbeau," Don Kanonji announced.

"Knock 'em dead, baby," Renji whispered, kissing her before they walked out onto the stage.

With her heart lodged firmly in her throat and sweat trickling down her body, Corbeau compliantly followed Renji as he led her onto the stage with the chain. The crowd did not make a single sound; not even random cough. She took a deep breath and soundlessly extended her wings, flapping them a few times to give the people a full view of them. The tent was filled with various noises of shock and surprise from oohs and ahs to gasps. Her eyes stared into Renji's when he came to stand in front of her. She folded her wings around him as he bent to kiss her which delighted the audience so they cheered and clapped their approval.

"Isn't he a lucky man folks? Receiving a kiss from the angel," Don Kanonji announced with a lilting tone in his voice, receiving a collective 'awww' in return.

"Turn around," Renji whispered, holding her against him as they turned together. The men whooped and whistled when the couple turned and his hand could be seen plastered to her behind.

With her back to the crowd, she folded her wings into their relaxed position. Cheers and claps broke out through the audience again. A few people came up to the stage asking her to touch her wings, but Don Kanonji declined for her and sent them away. Three big country boys refused to move. All three were tall, strapping, corn fed redneck men dressed in overalls with shirts underneath that looked like they had been cut from tablecloths. The smallest of the three was probably six feet tall and weighed around two hundred and fifty pounds.

"Let's hear it for our beautiful Angel right here on earth," he announced, bringing the crowd to their feet with applause. He felt the need to get her off of the stage immediately as the men eyed her with curiosity about more than her wings.

"I think it's all a load of horse shit!" the smallest one yelled.

"I can see the straps where those things are held on!" hollered another, pulling on the straps of his overalls as if to make his point.

"I want to have me a closer look at the pretty little birdy," the third one said, licking his lips as he looked her up and down.

"Renji, get her out of here!" Don Kanonji bellowed.

Without warning, three men jumped on the stage. The smallest one grabbed the startled barker while the biggest of the three seized Renji. The mid-sized country bumpkin grabbed Corbeau, put her over his shoulder, and disappeared into the bewildered crowd that was stampeding like spooked cattle.

"NO! PUT ME DOWN! RENJI!" Corbeau screamed but could barely be heard over the chaos and melee that was taking place. She screamed again as she was rushed out of the tent amid the confusion of the panicked spectators. Her throat burned as she continued to cry out for help while the man fled with her slung over his shoulder.

"Shut up!" the man yelled at her, disappearing behind the tree line that surrounded the property where the show had been set up.

When the man put her down, Corbeau's relief was short lived. She looked at him just before his fist made contact with her face and knocked her to the ground. Her legs kicked out at him and her hands clawed at his face when he reached to take off the shorts she was wearing. She beat him with her wings which did not deter him at all.

"Well, well, look what we got here, brother. That's one purty little birdy you caught," one of the men taunted when he appeared on the scene.

"Would you shut up and grab those damn things?" the man yelled as she boxed him back and forth between her powerful wings.

"Damn! I think these things are real. Let me find out," he said, seizing her wing along the biggest bone over the top.

"No, no, please," she begged, before hearing the distinct and sickening sound of bone breaking then feeling a surge of pain stab flow her wing to her body. A horrifying scream of agony was ripped from her raw throat while pain pulsated from the broken bone, wracking her entire body.

"Oh, I think that hurt the little birdy," the man laughed with sadistic glee. He grabbed the next big bone further down her wing and broke that one too. His laugh and her scream rang out into the still night air.

The third brother appeared on the scene at this time and grabbed her other wing. "Let's see how easily these things come off!" he exclaimed with a cruel delight in his voice. He tugged as if to test it then pulled with all of his strength.

Corbeau howled as the pain radiated through the wing to her body while a distinct ripping sound split the air. The wing was being torn from her body by the savage backwater brute. A pulsing, throbbing, white hot pain that made her feel weak and nauseated radiated through her body from both of her injured wings. She felt dizzy and saw stars burst in her vision but for some reason she would not lose consciousness to find some relief from her suffering.

"Damn freak," the man between her legs snarled. He roughly unfastened her shorts and scraped his fingernails down her thighs as he tried to take them off of her.

Corbeau shrieked with fear and misery wondering why someone was not coming to help her. How many of these sadistic idiots were there? She was sure as children these men burned ants with a magnifying glass and ripped the wings off of butterflies. She lay as still as possible because any kind of movement caused her whole body to spasm with torment from the injuries they had inflicted on her. She whimpered helplessly as the man threatened to make her ordeal worse by raping her.

A plaintive,resounding howl reached her ears moments before there was a growl nearby. The man on top of her did not move a muscle as golden eyes glowed in the dark near his face. Corbeau was startled when warm drool dripped down on her chest and face from Sajin's bared fangs that gleamed ominously in the moonlight.

"Close your eyes, Angel," he snarled, reaching out to seize the terrified man.

Corbeau did as he had told her, squeezing her eyes shut. If she could have gotten her hands to her ears she would have covered them too. She cried out as something wet and warm splattered across her body. A heart stopping yowl of fright was made by the man as his weight was suddenly lifted off of her. She made the mistake of opening her eyes too soon. She saw the big man being flung against a tree with the same ease a child would toss a doll.

The jerk who had broken her wing was screaming in pain soon after when Sajin's teeth sank down into his wrist, nearly severing his hand from his body. Corbeau's vision blurred from her terrible pain as she observed the blood running down the horrified man's arm while he held up his hand that dangled at a sickening angle from his wrist. A vicious snarl and bark sounded on the other side of her while the wolf man latched on to the ankle of the other sadistic fiend with the same results of the wrist. The man went down flat on his back wailing and crying in fear and pain when he almost lost his foot to the jaws of the canine like freak.

"Corbeau! Can you hear me, Angel?" Sajin asked, pulling her into his arms after incapacitating her attackers.

"It hurts. Please make it stop hurting," she begged. She cried out without meaning to when he picked her up, holding her tightly against his chest.

"Is she all right?" Renji yelled, sliding to a stop next to them. "Oh, god, Raven! I'm sorry, I-I couldn't get away from that bastard. And he…"

"Renji, stop," she said calmly, placing her hand on his face. "It's not your fault, sweetheart. Please, don't blame yourself."

"Where is she? Where is she?" Hanatoro yelled in a blind panic he was so fearful for her safety.

"Hey, kid, calm down! She's right here," Renji said, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him slightly to bring him down a little bit.

The boy had gotten himself so stirred up and freaked out he wasn't even thinking anymore. He blinked quite a few times then seemed to come back to himself. "Put her down so I can help her," he told Sajin who growled deep in his throat. "Please! I can help her!"

Hanatoro knelt down by her after Sajin lay her back down on the ground and covered her with the shirt he had been wearing. He ran his hand over the broken wing, finding the two spots were the nefarious redneck had completely snapped the bones in two. A faint blue glow seemed to be coming from his hands as he held them over the two broken places.

Corbeau cried out in pain, making the other two men jump. Tears flowed down her face while she bit her lips against the oppressive pain. What Hanatoro was doing burned as if her flesh was fire clear through the bone but she knew he was trying to help her.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Renji bellowed as she writhed and moaned in pain.

"I'm healing her. Don't touch me," he warned when the angry and confused redhead stepped toward him. "It's something I learned I could do a few years ago. I started out healing animals. I learned I could heal people when my little sister got sick."

Hanatoro paused briefly, taking several deep breaths. His hands moved over the formerly broken areas of her wing checking to make sure that it was completely healed before he moved to the injury on her back. He looked up at Renji who was staring at him with awe and fascination. "We lied to you about our parents. They didn't abandon us," he confessed, tears brimming and overflowing his big blue eyes. "They died. They were sick for a very long time. I tried, and I tried, and I tried to heal them, but it didn't work. I couldn't save them. I almost killed myself trying to heal them."

Renji resisted the urge to place a comforting hand on the crying boy's shoulder. He could feel the heat radiating from Hanatoro's body even from the distance he stood away from him. He watched the boy carefully roll her over onto her side to check the wound on her back. His body hurt right along with Corbeaus's as Hanatoro placed his hand against the raw bloody wound ,making her wince and shriek with the almost unbearable discomfort.

"Oh, god," Renji gasped, seeing her torn bloody back from where the bastards nearly succeeded in ripping off her wing. Guilt flooded him because he had not been able to protect her. From now on she would get in the damn cage and stay there for her whole appearance for her safety. He would also have men posted around the stage as well including himself. He was determined that no one would ever hurt her again. His attention was drawn back to Corbeau's back that had been healed as if nothing had ever happened.

Hanatoro slumped over her body, panting heavily. His healing powers were incredible, but they pulled a lot of energy from him.

"Hana," she called as Sajin picked her up into his arms. "Thank you. You truly are one of us. You have a family now, sweetie."

The other two men watched as the boy put his arms around her, placing his head against her chest. "I love you, big sister," he whispered, kissing her cheek.

"Renji, help him back to Kisuke and Yoruichi's. They might want to know about our new family member's interesting gift," Sajin said, holding Corbeau against his furry chest. "I wonder what secrets his siblings are hiding."

"Thank you, Sajin," was the redhead's surprising response. No retorts, no sarcastic comments, no dog insults. He walked away with the fatigued healer protectively tucked underneath his arm like a big brother.

The wolf man was so stunned by Renji's gratitude he did not move until the woman in his arms shifted and moaned in pain. "All right, Angel. I'm taking you home."


	6. Get Out of Town Please

Get out of Town…Please

Corbeau was propped up in bed as if she were a princess with Hana, Renji, and Sajin on the bed with her. She felt pretty good all things considered. Apart from feeling sore and bruised, there was really no pain left. A knock on the door caught their attention and they immediately stopped talking. Hana went to answer the door.

"I'm the Sheriff," they heard the man announce. "I need to speak to the girl who was attacked."

Corbeau slowly stood up when Hana's blue eyes met her brown ones. A hand on his shoulder assured him that she was okay so he moved out of her way. She tucked her wings in as tightly as she could against her body before she appeared at the door. "Yes?" she inquired, staring down at the man.

"Miss, can you please come out here and talk to me?" he requested, backing away from the RV.

Corbeau stared at the tall white haired man in the gray police uniform that was two sizes too small for him. It was stretched so tightly across his broad chest and brawny arms that she was afraid the material would shred with one too many flexes of those muscles. Her eyes stayed on his face as she dismounted the steps to stand in front of him. She could not see the color of his eyes because of the mirrored sunglasses he was wearing and refused to take off. When he turned in front of her to walk further away from the RV, she followed. Her gaze slid down from his broad shoulders to his backside. He had a nice behind but it seemed inappropriate to have it displayed so nicely in the police uniform. He whirled around suddenly causing her to take a few steps back.

"Are those real?" he inquired skeptically, attempting to get a glimpse of her wings. He walked around behind her to look for himself.

Corbeau suddenly fully extended them with a loud 'whoomph' sound that caught the Sheriff off guard and sent him stumbling backwards to fall on his behind. That wasn't the first time she had that effect on a man. She giggled because she would have sworn she heard fabric ripping.

"OH DAMN THOSE ARE REAL!" he yelled in awe, scrambling to his feet. He carefully skirted the edge of her wing when he walked back around to be in front of her.

"Yes, and those hillbillies from hell tried to rip them off and break them to pieces last night," Corbeau growled, scowling fiercely at the Sheriff as he scribbled in his little police notebook.

"Well, we know who did it. All three of those boys are in the hospital. One lost his hand. The other will most likely have his foot amputated. The third was the least damaged with a broken back," he informed her, flipping his notebook closed and tucking it back into his breast pocket. He finally took off his sunglasses to reveal dark eyes as he stared down at her. "Ma'am, the best advice I can give you and your friends here is to get out of town. Please."

"But what about those three who attacked me?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"You don't get it do you?" he inquired, putting his hand on his hips while he glared down at her. "Those three can bring charges against all of you people including first degree assault and attempted murder. Despite the fact that those three are idiots are immensely big assholes, they are local boys here. Y'all are a bunch of freaks. To use an old redneck phrase, we don't take kindly to strangers round these here parts. One of those boys' daddies is the judge who would be presiding over your case. Now tell me little missy, what ghost of a chance do you think you stand of winning?"

Corbeau lowered her gaze from the intimidating Sheriff who was absolutely correct in saying they would stand no chance in a court of law here. The best and surest way that everyone would win would be for them to pick up and get the hell out of town. "I see your point Sheriff. Can we have until tomorrow morning to leave?" she asked, looking back up at him.

The Sheriff put his sunglasses back on and took a deep breath. "I suggest you get out of here by nightfall. If you don't, something bad might happen to that guy in the dog suit. But you didn't hear that from me," he muttered, turning to leave.

Corbeau silently watched him walk away. She would have laughed at the ignorance of the dog suit comment if it had not been for the ominous danger he had warned of in the end. Apparently, the townsfolk were planning on breaking out the torches and pitchforks for good old fashioned lynching and Sajin was the target. "Dammit! We've got to get the hell out of here. Renji!" she yelled, able to hear the panic in her own voice.

"Miss?" the Sheriff called, turning back to look at her.

"Yes?" she inquired impatiently. She needed to get to the RV to tell everyone they had to leave.

"By the way, my name is Kensei. I know you have those three orphans from the town. Will you just please let me know from time to time how they're doing? I did everything I could to help them, but…"

Corbeau nodded sensing he was at a loss for words. It was easy to see that emotional matters were not his strong suit. He seemed to be a nice man and he was actually doing them a big favor by allowing them to leave town without arresting anyone or without taking the children away. He had even warned her about the threat that would be headed their way that night. She smiled at him as he quickly walked back to her.

"Thank you. Here," he said, handing her his card. "You can send letters to that address. It's the police station."

"Okay. I'll do that. Thank you, Sherriff," she replied, turning to leave. "For everything."

"You people aren't bad. Just different," he stated plainly. "I'm sorry this happened to you."

* * *

Corbeau stole a glance at Renji as he drove with his eyes fixed on the road. He had barely said two words two her in the many hours they had been driving. She kept telling herself it was because he was tired and worried. They had hurried to pack up and get out of town before a bunch of backwoods vigilantes came to exact their own form of justice against them, the people who where actually the victims. She still bore a few bruises and scrapes from her ordeal. She had refused to let Hana weaken himself any further by healing a few silly scratches and discolorations.

"Renji?" she called receiving no acknowledgement whatsoever from him. "Renji, I love you."

"Raven, I love you too," he replied, sounding as if he were taking a deep breath for the first time in hours. "I should have been there and I wasn't. I didn't protect you."

"Please, stop," she implored him. "We've been through this. There was nothing you could do. I don't blame you for anything. I understand."

"I blame me!" he blurted unexpectedly and loudly with anger. "I don't understand! Why was I so weak? Why couldn't I help? I'm glad Sajin was there or I might have lost you. Dammit!" He yelled, punching the steering wheel to abate his fury that simmered over.

Corbeau did not understand this either. She kept her mouth shut allowing him to have his moment. Apparently it was one of those man things where their ego has been damaged in some way and any thing she says or does will only make it worse. Their journey continued in silence.

* * *

The freak show caravan had driven all night long to get as far away from that little town as possible. It was mid-morning when they stopped to take a break and stretch their legs at a city park wherever they were at this time. Needless to say, the troupe of unique individuals had attracted quite a crowd of curious children and their parents at the little park.

Corbeau had wandered off by herself to a secluded area of the park to get away from Renji. She had stretched out on a blanket in the sun to relax. After enduring hours of strained silence, she desperately needed to unwind. Her whole body ached from the tension. The warm sun was soaking into her sore muscles and soothing the leftover pain from her injuries.

"What's wrong, Raven? Why do you look so sad? Where's your boyfriend?" Ichigo asked when he found her.

"He's in the RV taking a nap," she answered without opening her eyes to look at him.

"You've got an audience you know," he remarked, referring to the big group of young children standing nearby.

"Yes, I know. As long as they don't bother me, I won't bother them," she snapped, feeling his shadow fall over her. "Can you move? You're in my sun."

"Well, excuse me, ma'am," he sarcastically shot back. Just for that he decided to drop down on the blanket beside her so he could pester her some more. It wasn't like her to be in a bad mood. He was the kind of person that thought irritating the crap out of someone was the best way to improve their mood.

"How long do you think he will sulk and be in a bitchy mood because he wasn't there?" she asked, biting out the last few words with a harshness to her voice that Ichigo could not ignore if he tried.

"Raven, you have to understand that although we may act like we've got it all together and we're downright full of ourselves, our egos are very fragile and tender," he explained, resisting the urge to get up and run away when she turned her furious gaze on him.

"Naw! Say it ain't so! Men are so full of shit!" she yelled, venting her anger at him.

"I don't have to sit here and take this you know," he snarled back without moving. "But I will because you are important to me and I know you've been through a horrible ordeal. I also know that Renji loves you and just wants to look out for you. How would you feel if something happened to him and you felt there was something more you could have done to help?"

"You're right. I'm sorry," she apologized so gruffly it sounded insincere. "His anger is just wearing on me. It's hard being locked up in that RV with him for hours on end. Where are we going? Are we there yet?"

"Yeah, almost," he laughed, nudging her in the side with his knee. "You've got a fan walking up."

Corbeau raised up on her elbows to see a little boy of about four years old standing beside the blanket. She smiled at him as he nervously stubbed a toe in the ground and blushed.

"E-e-excuse m-m-e, lady," he stuttered. He looked so cute with his spiked blond hair and big blue eyes as he twisted his fingers together nervously. "A-a-are you an a-a-angel?"

"What do you think?" she asked pleasantly putting friendly smile on her face. She sat up all the way, allowing her wings to straighten out behind her and extending them to their full span of about eight feet. It hurt, but she wouldn't dare react to the pain. Her smile was unfeigned when the little boy's mouth dropped open and his big blue eyes got even bigger.

"Oh, I think you are," the child said without a stutter this time while he marveled at her. "Can I hug you?"

"Sure," she replied, happily accepting a hug from the little boy. This started something because suddenly a line formed behind him with kids waiting to receive hugs from the angel who made a special visit to their park. The parents did not seem to mind and even broke out their cell phones to take pictures.

As the line dwindled, Corbeau saw a very much adored redhead at the end who looked like he needed a really big hug. She got to her feet standing so close to him her breasts grazed his chest with every breath she took.

"Can I have one of those?" Renji asked, sliding his hands around her shoulders.

"You can even have a kiss too," she replied, putting her arms around his waist.

"I love you," he said, stealing the promised kiss from her lips.

"I know, you big dope. Don't ever push me away. I can't stand being without you," she whispered, looking up at him.

"Yeah, I feel the same way about you," he rejoined, staring down into her eyes.

"Oh, for god's sake! Ask her to marry you already you idiot! It's the perfect romantic moment!" Ichigo yelled like a spectator from the sidelines at a sporting event.

It _was_ the perfect romantic moment. Corbeau and Renji both laughed, hugging each other tightly.

"So what do you think, Raven? Would you marry a freak like me?" he asked, holding her face in his hands.

"You better believe I would," she answered, anxiously awaiting his kiss. There was no ring to seal the deal but his passionate kiss would do nicely.

"Hurry up and get her pregnant! Kids love her!" hollered their personal cheerleader.

Thanks, Ichigo.


	7. Dearly Beloved

Dearly Beloved

"Would you come on?" Corbeau demanded, pulling on Renji's arm.

"I don't like these places. They scare me," he whined, refusing to move.

"It's a church, you dolt. Now come on!" she exclaimed, tugging on him some more.

"But why do I have to go?" he asked, not budging at all.

"Because you're the one I'm marrying!" she yelled, dropping his hand. She threw up her hands in frustration, smacking him with one of her wings as she turned her back to him.

"Ow!" he bellowed, meeting the concrete step in a painful manner when he fell to his knees. Well, that moved him.

Corbeau noticed a tall man with long wavy brown hair pulled back in a ponytail standing at the top of the steps. She returned his pleasant smile as he walked down the steps toward her. A faint blush colored her cheeks under the intense gaze from his brown eyes. She was accustomed to being stared at but not by a priest. His occupation was evident by the standard black pants and short sleeved black shirt for summer complete with white clerical collar. She noticed how much hair was on his arms and even on the back of his hands and fingers when he put out his hand to shake hers. As she stared at his handsome face with signs of five o'clock shadow at nine in the morning she thought this guy was well on his way to becoming something like Sajin.

"Hello, I'm Shunsui Kyoraku. I'm the priest here. Can I help you with something?" he inquired in a deep pleasant voice. He hiccupped and swayed a bit before he blushed a bright pink.

"So, Padre, you already been into the communal wine this morning?" Renji asked, draping his arm across his fiancé's shoulders when he came to stand next to her.

"Renji!" she hissed, kicking sideways to catch him in the shin.

"Are you two sure you want to get married? Marriages are made in heaven but so is lightning and thunder," he said, looking at the somewhat happy couple in front of him.

"Yes, sir. He's just being a pest about going into the church," she explained.

"We have a beautiful garden in the back of the church. Would you like to get married there?" he asked, looking at the red faced groom who seemed to be in pain.

"I could handle that," he replied grumpily.

"Why don't you two come inside and we'll work out the details for your wedding?"

* * *

"What are you more nervous about? The wedding or your appearance tonight?" Rangiku asked as she stood backstage with her friend. Everyone was on pins and needles as they awaited Corbeau's second premiere which they hoped would be much different than her first.

"Definitely the appearance right now," she said, wishing she had a costume made of cotton material instead of the leather one. This time she was walking out on stage with Sajin who stood by her side with his arm around her protectively. She held on tightly to the chain in her hand that was attached to a thick black leather collar with huge metal spikes on it around his neck. This had been his idea so he could be as close to her as possible. It would also save time combining their appearances to allow for more acts to cross the stage.

The lights went down momentarily and Ichigo, Renji, and Kenny all appeared in front of the stage on the floor level. Kenny probably would have been enough of a deterrent alone but they weren't taking any chances. There were several other men placed throughout the audience among the spectators. Everyone was hoping that the attack on her was just an isolated incident perpetrated by complete morons and will never be repeated anywhere else.

"Well, folks, I have something special for you next," Don Kanonji began, glancing apprehensively toward backstage. "Something you've only read about in fairytales is about to come to life on our stage. Welcome our own Beauty and the Beast."

"Come on, Angel, you're in good hands," Sajin assured her, patting her on the behind.

"You better watch where those hands go, Wolfie," she warned, her dark eyes flashing at him.

"That's my girl," he growled sounding more seductive than vicious. He growled again, much louder and scarier this time as he leaped out on the stage dragging her with him.

Corbeau had to turn her back to hide her giggle from the communal "oh" of the crowd that she would have sworn was cued if had not been for their genuine reaction of leaning back in their seats in surprise and a small bit of fear. Maybe that was why people liked the freak show: it instilled that small dose of terror whether it be in its purest form of being just plain scared or the horror of seeing something truly aberrant and the relief that comes with the realization of the spectator that they are normal after all. Either way, it was pretty entertaining for the performer to watch as well.

Corbeau held on to the chain as Sajin pretended to be a frighteningly vicious creature and thrashed her about on the stage as if he were trying to shake her off. She unfurled her wings to their full glory as he pulled her close growling and snarling as if he wanted to eat her face off. She lay her head down on his chest, curling her wings around him as if she were hugging him and holding him. Her hands moved over his chest and down his belly like they had the first day when they met. Her black eyes looked deeply into his golden ones as she petted and soothed him while he ran his fingers through her hair. She was glad Renji had his back turned for this. The poor man would die then come back to life to go after Sajin and save her for last.

"Nothing soothes our ferocious beast like his lovely Angel," Don Kanonji cooed. He became increasingly uncomfortable as he watched what seemed to be an intimate moment between the dog man and bird girl. "Hey! Lovers!" he hissed to get their attention without alerting the jealous redhead. "This ain't no erotica show! Keep that crap up and you two will be relegated to the Hoochie Coochie tent with Rangiku!"

Sajin opened his mouth allowing his tongue to hang out like a panting dog. He stared at Don Kanonji as he licked her up her neck and over her cheek. He refrained from licking all the way down between her breasts like he had the day he had her alone in his trailer. That would have made everyone lose their minds. What he did elicited enough of a response that Renji turned around to see what was going on. All three people on stage shrugged innocently as if they did not know what had caused all the whooping and hollering.

"Let's hear it one more time for our in house bedtime story!" he announced, glaring at them as they walked by adding, "With a very adult twist."

"That was amazing!" Rangiku exclaimed, hugging Corbeau when she was safely back stage.

"Yeah. Pineapple head will kill you both when he finds out," Toshiro said with a nasty little grin on his face. He could be so damn mean sometimes.

"Say a word Tripod and you'll be finding another honeypot to dip your stick in," his lover threatened, turning to give him a death glare to make sure he knew she meant it.

"Awww, dammit!" he grumbled, stalking off from the backstage area.

"Hi, beautiful," Renji murmured, gathering her into his arms.

"Hello, Red. Could I take you home tonight?" she asked, flirting with him in the most obvious way.

"I'm not that kind of guy. You'll have to marry me if you want that," he joked back.

"Can I marry you tomorrow?"

"Sure thing, sweetheart."

* * *

The guest list included every member of the traveling show including all performers and workers. When they were all gathered in the elaborate and gorgeous gardens behind the church it appeared as if hell itself had opened up and poured onto the church lawn because of all of the odd caricatures of human beings that were gathered there. Some of the members of the group provided the music themselves with their own musical instruments. The array of talent traveling in the group extended way beyond just looking weird.

Corbeau took the bouquet of red and white roses from Rangiku before making sure her simple red dress was dress straight and smooth. With one last deep breath, her maid of honor and best friend started down the aisle created by the row of hedges that led to the center of the garden where Renji, Ichigo, Hana, and the priest stood. Rin and Hiyori walked right in front of her. They looked so cute linked arm in arm. Right now they were being happy and cooperative. Earlier they were fighting and irritating each other just like brothers and sisters love to do for no apparent reason than to just do it.

Corbeau kept her eyes on Renji to keep her going down the aisle despite her weak legs and swimming brain. She wanted to marry him, and she would not allow her anxiety to keep her from it. A big, happy smile was given to the friendly and helpful priest who had been willing to do so much to help them get everything ready in one day for their wedding. He appeared to be completely sober, probably because of the party they promised him would be coming afterwards at the show grounds.

When it came time for the rings, they were handed the gold bands with half of a heart etched into the band in silver. When the two wedding bands were placed together it formed the whole heart.

"Renji, I love you. On the day we met, you accepted me into your life and allowed me to be a part of your world. I had no idea on that day you gave me a permanent place in your heart as well. I will always be here for you, through the good times and the bad. I will always accept you, for better or worse. I will always love you with all of my heart," she said, holding out her trembling hand for him to slide the ring onto her finger.

"Corbeau, my Raven, my Angel. I have loved you since the day I laid eyes on you. I want to be your friend, your lover, your husband, and the father of your children. I want to be your everything and I will give you everything, forever and always," he stated with so much emotion he had to bite his lower lip to stop it from trembling. He held out his hand for her to give him his ring.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride," Shunsui proudly announced.

Corbeau stared into Renji's brown eyes as he placed his hands on either side of her face. Her eyes fluttered closed when he leaned down, placing his lips against hers. She put her arms around him as he held her close, giving her a sweet kiss that might have lasted a tad long for a wedding kiss but no one seemed to mind. She squealed with delight when he picked her up and swung her around.

"I do love you more than you can imagine," he whispered, kissing her cheek.

"I'm sure I have an idea because I bet I feel the same way about you," she rejoined, kissing his lips.

"When we get back to the show grounds do you want to sneak off by ourselves for a little while?"

Corbeau nodded enthusiastically. They were the first people to disappear from the church to return to the camping area. They opened the door to their RV and were greeted with a barrage of streamers and confetti someone had rigged to explode outward when the door was opened. Corbeau screamed and jumped back in surprise right into her new husband's arms. They dissolved in a fit of laughter as they watched a few of the balloons that filled the motor home escape and drift to freedom into the beautiful blue sky.

More confetti and glitter filled their bed. Ichigo must have done this because he was sure to spread it across each layer between the blankets and sheets so it was not a simple matter of throwing off the comforter and dispensing with the stuff. Corbeau was sure she would still be vacuuming glitter out of the carpet ten years from now.

Renji unzipped her dress, easily sliding the silky material away from her body. He kissed her while she unbuttoned his white dress shirt sliding her hands all over his chest and abdomen. His wonderful, lovely wife undressed him as she prepared to make love to him. He had not touched her in a sexual way since the night she had been hurt. But she had become his wife and he wanted to take her in every way possible as his wife.

Corbeau looked up at his handsome face, smiling when she saw how intently he was gazing at her. She loved him so much. Her hands slid down his legs while she lowered herself to the floor, removing everything that stood between them and the desire they shared for each other. Her body tingled when the velvety soft tip of his hard member grazed her body as she was standing back up sliding her hands along the contours of his muscled and tattooed legs. It was hard to find a man with nice legs and his were amazing: sinewy and smooth to show off the intricate tattoos. She enjoyed touching him and running her hands over every inch of his body. A certain number of inches became her focus as she wrapped her fingers around it to draw a groan from is sexy pouty lips. She pushed him back on the bed, straddling his lap after he positioned himself sitting up in the middle of the bed.

Renji was content to let her be in control to do with him what she will. His eyes held hers as she straddled his hips and paused for a moment to kiss him before lowering herself down onto him. He molded his hands to her behind as she took him in tentatively inch by inch. His fingers stroked her cheek as she lowered herself completely down taking a big sigh at the end when she was fully impaled. He wanted to grab her and thrust into her hard until she begged him to stop but he did not. Now was the time to show how much they cared to concentrate on the love and not the sex.

"I'm so happy that I'm yours," she said, her eyes closing as she began to sway her hips. It was like the slow, gentle rocking movement of a ship riding the waves of the ocean. Up then down, pleasure building with a wonderfully aching deliberateness with each stroke.

"Oh, Corbeau," he moaned, sliding his hands up to enclose her waist. He wanted to move her faster and harder which would end the sweetness of the moment.

She could tell he was being patient and holding back so she rewarded that by increasing the speed and intensity herself. Her hands pushed his back down to her behind to signal that it was okay if he helped her out. "Make me beg for mercy," she challenged him knowing that would be all it took for her sweetheart to lose control. Her arms twisted around his neck while a smile curled her lips when he seized his opportunity and her derriere to thrust up as he was pulling her down. "That's my wild man. Make love to me as fiercely and you look, sweetheart," she whispered, pressing kisses to his face and neck as he did as she requested.

Renji was not sure what had come over her but he think he liked it. He looked up at her as the most unimaginable sensations of pleasure awakened every nerve of his body. Pressure was building deep inside of him and he could tell it was her too as she raked his fingernails down his back and called his name over and over. The trails she cut into his back from her fingernails hurt but right now it served to enhance its exact opposite which was the ecstasy threatening to overwhelm him.

"Oh,baby, are you about to – " However he did not have to ask the whole question before he received his answer. He gritted his teeth to resist yelling out in distress when her long fingernails sunk into his shoulders like ruthless talons. His strong arms held on to her as she bucked and writhed as the euphoria of her climax inundated her body.

"Renji," she moaned his name which was the final push he needed to give in to the sexual release his body so desperately wanted. She held onto him as he shuddered underneath her, embracing her tightly while contentment and bliss swept over him in a satisfying wave.

They collapsed into each other's arms chuckling when they realized they sparkled and shined from the glitter and metallic confetti that had been dumped in their bed.

"I'm sure this isn't what they mean by the afterglow of sex is it?" Corbeau giggled.

"No. But we've definitely got that too. I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too, Renji."


	8. Who's your Daddy?

Who's Your Daddy?

"Raven? Wake up, honey," Renji said, shaking her slightly. He was worried about her. She had been so hard to wake up every morning for a few weeks now, and she usually took a nap in the afternoon as well.

"Renji, please, just a little while longer," Corbeau begged, rolling over on her belly and hiding her head under the pillow.

"Are you all right? Are you sick?" he asked, moving out of the way as her wing shot out in an attempt to knock him off the bed. He had learned to watch for those wings of hers especially when trying to wake her up.

"I'm just so tired. I don't know why," she mumbled.

"Well, come on. The kids are waiting for you. It's not good for the teacher to be late for school," he said, smacking her on the behind and running from the room.

Over the past year it had fallen to Corbeau to be the school teacher and baby sitter for all of the children of the show's people. Rin was a veritable genius so he actually assisted her with teaching. Hiyori was also a lifesaver when it came to assisting with the children. Hana helped of course when he was not busy with college classes. When the show had stopped for a long break, he had taken a test to receive a high school diploma equivalency degree then went straight into college when he turned sixteen. Technology is a wonderful thing because enabled him to take his classes online which was perfect for their lifestyle. Hana seeking an education seemed to prompt everyone else to realize their children needed some type of schooling so a suitable teacher was found in the resident child magnet named Corbeau.

For a while it seemed as if fertility was in the water because so many performers and workers became pregnant at once. Everyone except Corbeau. Over a period of two months, six babies were born into their already large family. Two of those babies belonged to Kisuke and Yoruichi; they were blessed with twins! So now they suddenly had a family of five. Through Corbeau's contact with Kensei, the Sheriff had made it possible for them to legally adopt Hana and his siblings. Rangiku and her half pint lover unexpectedly found themselves to be parents as well. That was a shocker for EVERYONE as if their relationship had not been an eyebrow raiser to begin with. The other three children belonged to workers of the show. One of those workers was Ichigo. He had "fallen in love" with a girl named Orihime he had picked up when they were passing through a place. She was a nice, quiet girl; a little on the dim side but likable enough. Their poor child did not stand a chance when it came to hair color. Orihime had bright orange hair a few shades darker than Ichigo's. He had a sudden family without even really wanting one. Renji and Corbeau still hoped it would happen for them, but it was hard to keep hoping with month after month of disappointment.

"Honey, there's a doctor in town if you need to go see one. I'll take you," Renji offered when she was still not out of bed twenty minutes later.

"All right dear." She hated doctors, but she would go to make him feel better. Just not today. She finally got up and got moving so he would not make her go right now.

The children were anxious and hyperactive this morning. Probably because they had to wait for her so long in the tent that was designated as their classroom. Rin and Hiyori looked as if they were ready to run from the little monsters who were crying and hanging on to them. Corbeau picked up the twins from the play pen and suggested everyone grab their books because they were going to have school outside under one of the big oak trees. This made the children happy which was a welcome break to the overwhelmed Rin and Hiyori's ears.

Renji came to check on her at lunch and he found her sitting on the ground with her back against the tree. He smiled at the sleeping woman who had the twins lying on her chest asleep and her wings tucked around them to keep them safe. His eyes drank in the touching scene wishing desperately that they could have a child of their own. He knelt down beside her to kiss her cheek then her lips in hopes that a gentle touch would wake her up. A smile curled his lips as she moaned and moved around holding the twins tightly against her.

"Hello, sleeping beauty," he murmured when she opened her dark eyes.

"Hi, honey. Was I asleep?" Corbeau asked, looking around as if she was a little confused.

"Yeah. Are you hungry?" He pressed his hand to her forehead and cheek to check for a fever, and she felt a little warm.

"No. Not really. I feel nauseated. Can you get me a ginger ale? Maybe that will help," she muttered, taking a few deep breaths to hold back the wave of nausea.

"I'm telling Kanonji you're not making your appearance tonight. And you're going to the doctor tomorrow," he informed resolutely so she would not try to argue. He understood her reluctance to see a doctor, but it was necessary.

"No. I'll be fine. I'll just take a nap later before the show."

Stubborn woman.

* * *

Corbeau stood backstage leaning against Sajin's shoulder and stroking him behind the ears. The wolf man allowed her to have so many liberties with him it astounded everyone. She squealed when she felt his tongue on her cheek.

"Would you stop that?" she yelled, wiping off the drool with a smile on her face.

"What's wrong with you? Are you all right?" he asked, staring at her with his golden eyes. "There's something different about you. I can smell it."

"Oh?" Damn dog with that oversensitive nose. "Renji is going to take me to the doctor tomorrow. I hope I don't have the flu or something."

"No. There's something else going on with you. Do you think maybe…" He pressed his hand against her belly to hint at a baby.

"I don't know. You tell me. What do you smell, you hound?" she asked, hugging him.

"Smart ass. It's a good thing I like you so much. I'd eat your pretty face off if I didn't," he growled playfully not letting her go.

"Kids! Are you ready?" Renji asked, appearing suddenly beside them. He had grown accustomed to the flirty wolf (he was a dog after all so he could not help himself) and his halfhearted advances toward Corbeau.

"Yes, sir. We're ready," she answered, stealing a quick kiss from lips.

Halfway through their little shtick, Corbeau felt as if a bucket of hot water had been dumped on her. The feeling of nausea literally brought her to her knees while little black tadpole things swam through her vision. She was instantly drenched with sweat but felt like she was freezing.

"Angel! What is it?" Sajin asked, picking her up into his arms. He looked at Don Kanonji hoping he would say something to cover this over and end the act so the audience would not be upset by her collapse. As he carried her off the stage to her worried husband, he could hear the loud mouthed barker with the gift of gab saying something to make it sound like it was all part of the act. He was too troubled himself in this moment to care about that.

"What happened?" Renji asked, following after the massive wolf man who was swiftly walking away with his wife. "Where are you going?"

"Come on, Red, we're taking our girl to the hospital. Enough is enough."

* * *

They were sure it was not the unconscious woman that caused such a stir at the hospital. Renji and Sajin patiently waited as the initial shock, alarm, and general freaking out ensued among the hospital staff and other people at the emergency room upon their arrival.

"Are you done?" Renji asked a young nurse with a red face who approached them with a clipboard. "Can you help us?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, it's just –" She stopped talking when the object of her attention smiled at her showing all of his sharp canine teeth with the prominent fangs. She was something quite astounding and stare worthy herself at over six feet tall with short wildly messy silver hair. Her gray eyes were kind and compassionate.

"Yeah, I know what it just is," he snapped irritably. "I promise he's had all of his shots, and he doesn't bite. Me, however, I can't make that promise. If you people don't pull yourselves together and help my wife it will get ugly in here real fast," he warned, snatching the clipboard out of her hands.

"Yes, I'm so sorry," apologized the nurse with Isane Kotetsu on her nametag.

"What's going on here?" demanded a woman about a foot shorter than the nurse with black braid down her back to her waist.

"It wasn't us, it was them," Renji replied defensively, moving his arm in a wide sweeping motion to indicate everyone in the room.

"No, I mean what's going on here," she said, her big blue eyes sweeping over the unconscious woman in the big furry man's arms.

"Oh." He described what had happened on the stage and listed the symptoms his wife had been having for weeks.

The doctor gave a thoughtful grunt then motioned for the two men to follow her. Nurse Kotetsu busied herself with taking vitals such as temperature and blood pressure while the doctor poked and prodded.

"I need you two gentlemen to leave now. I'm going to run a few tests then I'll come get you," she said, hustling them out of the room.

Hours later the doctor finally came out to tell them something. They both jumped to their feet and moved toward her when she walked into the room which almost frightened her. She froze and took a deep breath as she stared at them.

"All right gentleman, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that she has a severe kidney infection and slight dehydration. The infection can be easily treated with antibiotics, and we're administering fluids by IV now," Dr. Unohana informed them before taking another deep breath. With a smile on her face she happily made the next announcement while looking straight at her husband. "Congratulations, you're going to be a father."

"Renji, that's…oh, dear," Sajin mumbled when he saw the man had fainted.

The doctor sighed deeply before she knelt down beside the man on the floor to check for a head injury.

"I'm sure he's not hurt, Doc. I've known him for a long time, and he's pretty hard headed," Sajin joked as he watched the doctor feel around on Renji's head.

"Well, you're an interesting man. I would like to give you a head to toe exam sometime," Dr. Unohana said, smiling up at him briefly before turning her attention back to the unlikely patient on the floor.

"Oh? Just to see if I'm real or if this a suit? Where is your office? I might come by and let you," he replied in a joking manner.

"I have no doubt you're real," she rejoined, sitting Renji up and leaning him against the couch until he regained consciousness. The pretty doctor stood in front of the wolf man smiling up at him pleasantly. "I'll give you my home address. I was thinking of an examination of a more intimate nature."

Sajin released a low 'woof' as he looked at the lovely doctor who now had her hand on his chest. A pitiful groan from below alerted both of them that the debilitated new father was waking up.

"Mr. Abarai, would you like to see your wife?" the doctor inquired.

"Come on," his furry friend grumbled, reaching down to pull him up the collar. "Want me to carry you?"

"Hell no, dog breath," Renji snapped furiously, blushing as red as his hair with embarrassment.

"Don't worry. I've seen fathers have worse reactions," she assured him, leading him to his wife's room.

Corbeau was laying in the bed with her eyes closed but with a big smile on her face. When the door squeaked her eyes immediately popped open, and she sat up in the bed. Her whole body was practically vibrating she was so thrilled. She slid her arms around her husband's neck almost choking him in her excitement and joy.

"Can you believe it?" she exclaimed, pressing his hand to her flat belly. It still did not seem real.

"I'm so happy. I love you, baby," he said, leaning forward to kiss her.

"I love you too, daddy."

* * *

Okay extraordinarily unlikely pairings are happening here, but it fits with the theme of the story. What could be freakier than Rangiku and Toshiro not only being together but having a baby? And Retsu and Sajin? That's one that will make you go what the fu...


	9. Mad Mama

Mad Mama

"Ow!" one of the smaller children shrieked.

Corbeau looked up from the papers she was grading with obvious annoyance on her face. They had decided to go the nearby city park for school today at their latest location because everyone was busy setting up the show grounds. She had officially been taken off the roll as a performer since she was six months along and had developed a prominent baby bump that could no longer be hidden by loose costumes. Her lips curled into a smile as the baby kicked as if to remind her of its presence within her body. As if she needed to be reminded. The morning sickness that lasted all day and constant fatigue had been a perpetual reminder until the end of her fourth month. For the last two months a surge of excitement flooded through her with every little movement she felt. Heaven forbid she gasp and alert her husband to the fact the baby moved. His hands would suddenly be on her belly squeezing and poking to feel the movement of his child. It was sweet that he was so interested but pure hell on her bladder. The terrible infection at the beginning of her pregnancy had left her kidneys weak so she had to drink huge amounts of water therefore she constantly had to go to the bathroom. Even more so now that the child within her liked to use her bladder for a trampoline. She already told Renji she planned on camping out in the bathroom by the time she entered her eighth month.

"Ow!" another child squealed rubbing his arm with a pained look on his face.

"What's going on back there?" she asked, standing up from the picnic table she was sitting at.

"Miss Corbeau! Someone keeps throwing rocks at us!" a third child whined, rubbing the back of her head.

Corbeau walked to the edge of the area where the children were spread out on benches, picnic tables, or blankets on the ground busy doing their work. So far three of the children had been hit so she looked around to see where the mysterious projectiles were coming from. A sharp stinging sensation stabbed the middle of her forehead as pain blossomed in her skull. Something wet and warm trickled down her face.

"Hana!" she yelled, sinking to her knees slowly when the dizziness overwhelmed her. What the hell was going on here? Her eyes scanned the area again including the trees looking for someone, something, anything that could be the source of the painful flying objects.

"Oh, my god!" he bellowed, his new deep male voice making her jump.

"Get the kids. Get them out of here," she told him, shoving him away as he bent to help her. She heard a hissing sound as several more rocks flew by her head, one hitting her in the shoulder. Her eyes finally found the source. In a tree about ten yards away, three boys who appeared to be older teenagers were using slingshots to hurl the stones at them. Why do dumbasses always travel in threes? Morons are everywhere and it had been a while since they had ran into this kind of senseless violence directed at their people.

Corbeau turned her back stretching out her wings to protect the children that remained. She put her arms around them as they huddled to her, keeping her wings outstretched to act as a barrier. Tears formed in her eyes from the pain of the rocks pelting her back as she watched Hana take the babies first with the help of some of the older children. He instructed the bigger kids to carry the smaller ones so he could get them out of there faster. She pushed the three clinging to her toward him after he returned for the last few terrified children.

"Corbeau, come on!" Hana yelled, grabbing her by the hand.

"We've got something special for you, damn mutant crow!" a voice rang out across the park.

Corbeau screamed when a blinding pain bit into her shoulder. It was far more than a stabbing pain when an arrow penetrated her shoulder with the arrowhead coming all the way through. She screamed again in terror when she saw Hana get hit in the shoulder as well. These assholes were special. They were intent on inflicting pain and torturing them before they killed them if that was their purpose. She immediately halted her retreat nearly snatching Hana off of his feet. She pulled him behind a tree where they would be safe from any further arrows.

"Grit your teeth, this is gonna hurt like hell. If it makes you feel any better, you get to do it to me next," she snarled through her clenched teeth. She broke off the end of the arrow, taking a deep breath before she jerked with all of her strength and pulled the shaft through the front of his shoulder. "Now heal it quickly so you can do the same to me," she ordered, panting with pain and anger that rushed through her body.

"What are you going to do?" Hana asked, wincing at the burning sensation in his shoulder as he healed the wound. Since he had practiced and gained strength in his abilities, it only took a matter of seconds now for him to administer his powers effectively.

"Just get this damn thing out of me and get the kids out of here. These idiots have messed with the wrong mama," she growled, setting her teeth with determination as he prepared to pull out the arrow. She screamed as the burning, tearing pain radiated from her shoulder making her feel nauseated with the sudden intense agony. She leaned against the tree to recover from the dizziness while he healed her.

"I'll be back for you soon. For god's sake don't get hurt! Renji will kill me!" Hana yelled back as he was running to get the children to safety.

Corbeau grabbed the bloody wooden shafts with the three dimensional arrowheads still intact. She peeked around the tree she was hiding behind to see the three attackers had come out of hiding. They were standing beneath tree from where they had been shooting their innocent victims, laughing. Damn. She only had two arrows. Oh, well, the third would just have to get his ass beat with her wings. When someone started picking on her children that stirred up her ire. Enough was enough with ignorant moronic bumpkins and she was ready to give them an education on what freaks can really do.

"Hey, assholes! You forgot these!" she yelled as she ran toward them. When she was within a few feet of the boys, she raised the arrows to plunge them into the shoulders of the two boys standing on the side of the third. She had a knee to the groin waiting for the one in the middle. When she was right at them, she launched herself into the air, landing her knee in the tender spot beneath the waist of the male in front of her. She thrust the arrows forward, feeling some resistance as they stubbornly penetrated the beefy shoulders of the other two. All three of them fell into a heap on the ground with Corbeau on top.

"There you bastards! Leave us alone! You better get the hell out of here. My friend might have left but he's coming back with more. And they're a hell of a lot bigger and scarier than I am," she threatened, her chest heaving frantically for air. She slapped the stunned teenagers one by one as they lay on the ground. Her voice was shrill as she continued to yell insults and curse at them.

A low growl alerted her that Sajin had arrived on the scene. By the terrified wide eyed look on the boy's faces, they were aware of his presence as well.

"Move, Angel. I've got this. Are you all right?" he asked her as he helped her to her feet.

"Yes. I'm fine," she answered, dusting herself off after dealing with the trash.

"I'm impressed, Mama," he said, looking back at the trembling, crying boys on the ground.

They were just stupid little boys. They weren't the cold blooded killer types like those who got hold of her before. These were just pathetic, mean little kids who enjoyed torturing the small and the weak to make themselves feel better.

"Corbeau!" Renji yelled, literally sweeping her off her feet as he grabbed her and swung her around. "Are you hurt? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, calm down," she assured him, kissing his lips.

Retsu walked up on the scene pushing Renji away so she could check the mother to be. The traveling show now had a resident doctor who had run away with them because she had fallen in love with the one of the headlining freaks. That was another shocking development within their little family. It was for sure no one ever grew bored in the freak show. If they did, it was their own darn fault.

"All right, sweetie, you're fine," Retsu announced, hugging her briefly. Then she went into mama mode as she put her hand on her hips and shook her finger in Corbeau's face. "What in the hell is wrong with you? You're six months pregnant! You can't afford to be running around like some superhero dispensing justice and righting wrongs!"

Corbeau hung her head as the haranguing continued. She kept her head bowed to hide the smile she wore on her face. It was nice to have people who cared and truly loved her. She felt her husband's arms slide around her body and her smile got even bigger.

"You scare me sometimes. I'm glad you like me. I hope I never piss you off," Renji said, hugging her tightly.

"Are all of the children okay?" she inquired, content to be in her husband's arms.

"Thanks to you. Yes, they're fine. Hana too. He's going to be an amazing doctor one day," Retsu answered. She had taken the boy on as an assistant and an apprentice of sorts.

"Let's get you home, baby. I'm sure you're tired after that," he murmured in her ear holding her close.

"No actually after that adrenaline rush, I'd like to…" she whispered the rest in his ear since it was meant for him alone.

Everyone laughed when he picked her up in his arms and made a hasty retreat with her.

* * *

Three and half months later…

Corbeau was walking across the newly constructed midway after it had just been set up in another new town for a week long showing as requested by the mayor. So far, people here seemed to be very friendly and accepting of the show folks. She was glad of that because it looked like the name of this town was going to appear on the birth certificate of her child. Mild contractions had woke her before dawn this morning. She had not said anything to Renji because she knew he already had a lot on his mind being the new co-owner of traveling show. There was no sense getting him in a panic when this could take hours or even days. Days. 'Oh, dear god, please have mercy, not days,' she thought to herself as she jammed the heel of her hand into her aching back while she waddled along. A particularly strong contraction seized her making her freeze in her tracks to take a long deep breath to get through the pain. Breathe. Just remember to breathe. As if she could ever forget. These things freaking hurt!

"Angel, is there something you need to tell me?" Sajin inquired when he appeared around the corner.

Corbeau jumped nearly falling over the massive tangle of power cables on the ground. "Don't do that! You'll make me drop this baby right here!" she yelled, holding her stomach as another contraction began creeping around from her back to her tummy. They are coming faster and harder. That is a good sign.

"So it's time huh?" he asked, coming to hold her hand as she struggled through the pain.

"You know if it were anyone else but me you'd scare the hell out of them doing the things you do. It's like you have this weird sixth sense about me," she puffed, gritting her teeth against the misery wracking her body.

"I do. I love you," he said, holding her up in his arms.

"I love you too, Wolfie," she responded, touching his face.

"No, Angel. I _love_ you," he repeated, his golden eyes capturing her black ones.

Corbeau forgot about the contractions while shock set in as his full meaning hit her. "Sajin, darling, do you really think now is the time for this kind of confession? Ow!" she cried out, holding her breath as every muscle in her body stiffened. "What about Retsu?"

"I love her. Just differently. I won't act on these feelings. I-I just wanted you to know," he stammered, pushing her hair back from her face as sweat beaded on her forehead and above her lip. "Relax, calm down. You're going to hurt worse."

'Oh, sure. Say something like that then expect me to stay calm," she thought to herself, unable to say anything because of the intense pain. This labor just got a sudden shift into overdrive.

* * *

"Renji, if you ever come near me again, I'll rip you apart!" Corbeau screamed, leaning forward to push as the contraction peaked.

"Shutup Corbeau and push! You'll love him again in no time, I promise!" Retsu yelled at her.

Corbeau had been in labor for twenty four hours; to say she was exhausted would be a gross understatement. Calling her grumpy would be like saying a Tsunami is a little bit of water. She was tired of the pain, and she was ready bring this baby into the world.

"Baby, I love you!" Renji said, afraid to get within her reach. He was sure if he did, she would inflict some kind of pain on him to share hers.

"Then get this thing out of me!" she cried out.

"I see the head! Come on, Corbeau! One more big push," the doctor coached her.

Hana was standing behind Retsu watching everything and was too mesmerized or horrified to speak; it was hard to say which he was feeling by the expression that twisted his face.

"Renji! Help me!" his wife cried, reaching out to him.

Renji went to her, putting his arms around her. He held her as she took a break between pushes. His lips pressed against her sweaty forehead as she sobbed loudly with tears streaming down her face. This will probably be an only child. He could not bear seeing her in this much pain again. Suddenly he felt her arms tighten around him and continue to squeeze. It was like being squeezed by a boa constrictor, and it was getting very hard to breathe. "SOMEBODY HELP ME! SHE'S REALLY GONNA KILL ME!" he bellowed at the top of his voice while his wife's shriek of tortuous agony nearly drowned him out.

And then another kind of cry was added to the noise. The cat like mewling of the infant that had just been born penetrated the air making everyone go silent. Even the pain wracked mother who had been howling with the travails of labor a moment earlier was quiet. Only her sniffing and the occasional gasp for air could be heard.

Corbeau watched as Hana and Retsu both quickly worked on the baby cleaning the child and checking to make sure everything was okay. Her body was trembling as Hana handed her the warm, wriggling bundle wrapped in a pink blanket.

"Way to go, big sis," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "You've got a lovely baby girl."

"Oh, oh, my god!" she murmured staring down at the little pink scrunched up face amid the folds of the blanket. Even though she was wrinkled and crying and looked like an alien, their daughter was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen at that moment.

"She's so pretty. Can I have her?" Renji asked, holding his arms out for her.

Corbeau wanted to keep holding the baby but her husband looked so cute and sweet she could not withhold the baby from his waiting arms. She watched as he nestled the tiny infant expertly in the crook of his arm and began cooing and making promises of all the things he was going to give her including the moon and the stars. She lay back on the bed, allowing the tears to come as long and as hard as they wanted to.

"It will be all right, sweetie," Retsu comforted her in a soothing voice. "What do you want to name her?"

"Allete Corren," Corbeau answered in a barely audible voice. She was slowly giving in to an exhausted sleep.

"That's beautiful. Just like your baby girl. Go on to sleep, sweetie. She's in very good hands," her friend and doctor assured her.

Corbeau stared at her very happy husband and new father as he held his newborn baby daughter. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	10. Love and Lost Love

Love and Lost Love

Corbeau awoke just before dawn. In the weak gray light she could see the baby laying on Renji's bare chest as he slept. Her hand reached out to touch the silky soft head of her newborn baby girl. She smiled when the baby stirred making a contented sighing sound as her father's arms tightened around her protectively to hold her. Since those two were asleep and satisfied with where they were, she decided to go take a shower. The hot water felt great on her tired sore body after her long excruciating ordeal of bringing her baby into this world. She sighed loudly with gratification because the pain had been worth the precious bundle that lay in her husband's arms.

"Mama?" Renji called as she luxuriated in the heat of the water. "Someone needs you."

Upon hearing the baby's cries she felt a pain shoot through her full breasts. Her body was already responding to the baby's need as the milk began to leak from her nipples.

"Oh, my!" her husband exclaimed when he saw it. "Isn't that an interesting problem?"

Corbeau wrapped the towel around her waist, carefully taking the baby from him. She sat down in the bed with her back against the wall. Her attention was completely on the baby while her husband carefully sat down next to her to watch. He could be so childlike and cute sometimes with his insatiable curiosity. Once the baby was latched onto her correctly she looked at her husband who was staring at her face with fascination.

"Renji, what is it?" she inquired, reaching out to touch his cheek.

"You're just so beautiful, baby. I see you every day so sometimes I forget just how wonderful you are and how much I love you," he said, leaning forward to kiss her on the lips.

What a hopeless romantic! Oh, how Corbeau loved him. Her tough, savage looking husband with a gooey sentimental heart. The first time she saw him, she never would have imagined just how sensitive he is.

"Oh, darling, I love you too," she rejoined, kissing him again. She looked down at the baby in her arms realizing she had not yet had a chance to get acquainted with her newborn daughter.

The baby was soft and plump with skin that felt like the smoothest silk. A barely visible bright red fuzz covered her head. 'Just like daddy, how wonderful,' Corbeau thought. Her mind wondered what eye color the child had. She was hoping for a pair of brown eyes like her father's and not darker than black inky pools like hers. She never liked her eyes because they were so much like a raven's and different than human eyes. Oh, well, why quibble over eye color when she had wings for goodness sake. Wings. While she was moving the baby to her other breast, she carefully slid her fingers across the infant's back around her shoulder blades.

"Oh, no," she gasped when she felt the distinct hard protrusions under the delicate skin. Allete would be like her – she would have wings. Tears slid down her cheeks as she held the baby tighter against her body. "I'm sorry, my baby, I'm so so sorry."

"Corbeau, honey, what is it?" Renji asked, moving closer to her to pull her into his arms. He was confused and frightened by her actions. She should be happy; he had seen tears of joy and the ones she cried were anything but joyful. Those tears on her face were bitter and full of hurt.

"She's going to have wings, Renji. She's going to be like me," she sobbed, rocking back and forth gently.

"Oh, Raven how is that a bad thing?" He pulled her head down to his shoulder, carefully enclosing her and the baby with his arms.

"I know what she will have to endure. I know the pain she will have not just emotionally but physically. You can't imagine the pain our little girl will be going through when the wings start to grow," she wailed, looking down at the innocent child in her arms. She remembers the physical torture she suffered to this day. The bones growing and pushing constantly against her skin until one day they break through and the blood will pour until the skin is finally able to heal itself. Day by day, millimeter by millimeter, the bones continue to grow, sprouting feathers and shedding feathers as they get bigger. It's painful and terrifying all at the same time not just to the child but everyone around her.

At least her baby will have someone who understands, who knows what she is going through, and will be able to help her through it. Corbeau never had that. She was surrounded by fear, disgust, and rejection on a daily basis. Not just from strangers but by her parents, especially her mother. Her father took an interest in her that was purely scientific, treating her like just another one of his test subjects. She was one of his prized science experiments. At least Allete would not have to suffer that emotional pain.

Corbeau smiled with the thought that her baby would be surrounded by a huge loving family who would not only except her but they were like her. They were freaks and weirdos and physically deformed. They had been mercilessly teased and bullied and abused. They knew and understood what she is. They would love Allete and accept her with open arms just like they had her mother. After being rejected and despised by 'normal' people, they had formed their own separate society that lived parallel to everyone else.

"Baby, it will be okay. Don't worry. Things are different for her than they were for you," Renji murmured, holding her and the baby close.

"You are so right. Things will always be different for her and this is a good thing," she said, kissing her sweet daughter's cheek.

"So when do you want to have another one?"

"Ask me a few months from now."

* * *

Corbeau lay on her belly on the blanket playing with her six month old daughter. She blew on the baby's tummy while each melodious giggle from the child made her tingle with delight. She was so happy. A smile spread across her face when Ichigo appeared with his clone that was nearly two years old running at his heels.

"Oooh, Ayet," Isshin yelled running toward them. Ichigo had named the baby to honor his father.

Corbeau quickly sat up on her knees to hold out her arms to catch the orange haired ball of energy. She laughed as he gave her a wet kiss on the cheek then proceeded to wiggle out of her arms to get to the baby. "Be careful now. She's not as big as you are remember," she told the sweet little boy.

"I yuv hu, Auntie, I not hut hu," he said in his cute little baby voice. He had trouble pronouncing his L's and R's but at this age it was so precious.

Corbeau just wanted to pinch his chubby little cheeks as he smiled at her and blinked his big brown eyes.

"Hi, Angel," Ichigo said, kissing her on the cheek that wasn't covered with his son's drool. "She's so pretty. Just like you." He watched his son lie down on his tummy beside the baby and lay his head right next to hers. Allete laughed loudly and reached for his nose.

"I think he's in love. Should we go ahead and make a betrothal agreement, Dad?" she asked, giggling a little.

"I don't see why not. I think they would be perfect for each other," he responded with a smile on his face. The smile disappeared and he became very sad and somber looking. "Corbeau, I need to talk to you. Something bad has happened."

"What is it?" she inquired, leaning toward him. She chewed her lower lip anxiously when saw the tears forming in his eyes. "What is it?" she repeated when it seemed he was never going to speak.

"She's gone. When I woke up this morning, there was a note and all of her stuff is missing. Orihime left me," he stated in a low voice where only they could hear.

"Oh, no," she gasped, moving closer to put her arms around him. "Does anyone else know?"

"I talked to Renji first. Other than you two, no one else knows. Isshin keeps asking for his mama, and it just keeps breaking my heart. What do I tell him?" His eyes held hers pleading with her to give him an answer.

"I-I don't know, sweetie," she stammered, reaching out to wipe away the single tear that fell. "Did she tell you why?"

"Something about her lawyer cutting her off. A lawyer has been her legal guardian since her parents were killed years ago and has been taking care of her. He had been funneling money into an account for her the whole time she's been with me. I guess he thought it was a passing fascination for her and she would eventually come back home. He didn't want his princess to suffer in the meantime until she came back to her senses. She's headed back home. She said she didn't want anything to do with me or the baby anymore," he murmured tearing apart pieces of grass. He furiously swiped at the tear that snaked down his cheek.

"Oh, Ichigo," she whispered, laying her hand against his cheek. "I'll help you any way I can. If you need me to take care of Isshin for a while I can. Whatever you need me to do."

Corbeau was thinking that there surely must be more to this story. The two of them were so happy together. She could not think about Orihime's motives at this time because Ichigo was sitting in front of her needing her help. What could she possibly do?

"I knew I could count on you. Thank you." He leaned forward to kiss her cheek, then moved to her lips.

"Please, don't. You're hurting right now and I understand that. Don't make it worse." She watched the bright pink color rise up his neck and spread across his whole face.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Do you mind if we keep talking?" he asked, unable to meet her gaze due to the humiliation from his rash action. He was glad she was patient and understanding.

"Go ahead. Talk all you need to."

* * *

'Well, isn't this a pretty picture?' Renji thought to himself. He was pushing down the jealousy that threatened to boil over within in him. He stared at the touching scene that was set before him. His wife lay on her side with their child resting on her outstretched wing. His best friend's head was lying disturbingly close to her breasts as he lay next to her with his son cuddled against him. All four were asleep. He felt terrible for Ichigo since his wife had just deserted him and his child. The poor man looked so sad and weary even in his sleep.

"Angel," Renji whispered in Corbeau's ear after he knelt down beside her.

"Hi, honey. I'm sorry. It was nap time for the children, and we accidently fell asleep with them," she said.

Renji picked up Allete holding her securely against his chest. He rubbed his lips across here velvety head enjoying the ticklish feeling across his lips from her hair. After they stood up, he took her hand to lead her several feet away so they could talk without disturbing the other two.

"How is he?" he asked.

"Okay. All things considered. He's upset and confused. Wounded and hurting obviously. He cried some. He was even able to laugh a little as he reminisced. I wish I knew what to do to help him," she murmured, looking over at him. She was glad he was finding some peace while sleeping.

"Corbeau, stay away from him," Renji stated in a stern voice that surprised her.

"What?" she asked, completely confused. Ichigo was her friend too.

"Let me explain so you'll understand. He's hurting bad and at times like these it's not a good thing for a man and a woman to be alone. _Things _happen. Do you know what I mean?" he inquired, gazing into her eyes to make sure she did.

Corbeau nodded. She knew exactly what he meant. This was how affairs happened. If a man and woman are alone together and offered comfort when one is suffering emotionally, it inevitably makes them lovers and causes more broken hearts. It came close earlier. If they had been somewhere alone and secluded that simple kiss would have been the beginning of the end. Ichigo had just lost his wife. Renji had no intention of losing his.


	11. The Dynamic Trio

The Dynamic Trio

Corbeau was sitting on the floor of the 'living room' in the RV playing with Allete who was had just celebrated her first birthday a few days earlier. It was hard to call anything an actual room in their motorhome because it all just kind of ran together. She was waiting on her two other charges to arrive for her babysitting duties to begin. Her job had fallen to a strictly advisory position as far as school went. The teaching duties had now fallen to Rin, who was taking college courses as well. Hiyori took care of the smaller children and conducted a type of daycare/preschool for them. Hiyori, shockingly enough, was showing talent as becoming a new addition to the freak show. She exhibited an amazing strength that almost rivaled that of their current strongman, Ikkaku. The man was even training her and helping her become stronger. Her talent was discovered when she nearly gave her father a concussion with a well-placed shoe upside the head. Kisuke had been teasing her about having a crush on Ikkaku because she had gotten into the habit of watching him lift weights. Her father never mentioned another word about her being in love with the man especially when she became Ikkaku's apprentice. Hana was close to graduating with his master's degree and was ready to pursue his doctorate to become a pediatrician and obstetrician/gynecologist. The men of the show teased him mercilessly about his choice of careers until Hana pointed out exactly what he would be doing in the gynecologist part of his chosen profession. That changed their minds – the whole big group of perverts.

An expected knock on the door was answered with a call to enter from Corbeau without leaving her seat on the floor where she was building a tower of blocks so her daughter could knock it down.

Hiro, Toshiro and Rangiku's child, slowly and calmly walked up the steps. He looked like his mother with honey blond hair and pale blue eyes. He acted like his father with his quiet, shy, somewhat grumpy nature; also having his never hurried, never flustered demeanor. Nothing excited this child in a good way or a bad way. It was a treat to receive a reserved smile or small titter of laughter from him. He never got upset or whined and hardly cried even as a baby. His best friend, Isshin, was his polar opposite and they had a true yen-yang friendship. They had been friends virtually since birth since they arrived within a few hours of each the other.

"Hi, Hiro. Come to play Allete for the day?" she asked, opening her arms for a hug.

"Yes, Aunt Corbeau," he answered politely with a blush on his cheeks as he hugged her.

The door had not even completely closed before it was unceremoniously jerked open again and an orange headed ball of energy hurtled up the steps into her arms. Poor Hiro barely had time to move out of the way before Isshin threw himself into Corbeau's arms.

"I'm here!" he yelled just in case no one noticed.

"So I see," she laughed, looking behind the little boy to see his father.

Ichigo avoided her gaze yet he continued to stand in the door way without coming in. Something was wrong. He swung his eyes to hers ever so briefly and she could see the tears.

"Kids, I'm going outside to talk for a minute okay. You three play nice. You two," she began sternly, eyeballing each boy in turn, before continuing her warning, "Allete is not a tug of war device. If I come in and catch you two fighting over her and pulling her again, I'll spank you both. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," they answered in unison before giving each other dirty looks over Allete's head who was playing with her blocks and blissfully unaware. Isshin stuck his tongue out at Hiro who only rolled his eyes and grunted. This relationship between the three was bound to have interesting implications as they got older.

Corbeau could only imagine the drama that would be coming their way when the children become teenagers. She shivered with the thought and got up to walk outside with Ichigo. She suddenly wished Renji had not left early so he could have talked to him. After closing just the screened door so she could hear and see the children, they moved away a few feet so have some semblance of a private conversation.

"What is it?" she inquired, studying his face that appeared as if were about to crack to release of flood of emotion.

"Well, I heard something from Orihime," he said flatly, reaching for his back pocket. He pulled out a folded legal looking document and handed it to her.

"Oh, no," she sighed after her eyes skimmed the paper. "She's giving up her rights to Isshin?" she asked in disbelief. What mother does this?

"There's something wrong here. She would never do this. She loves him more than she loves me," he stated in a slightly whiney voice.

Corbeau bit her lip to hold back the questions on her tongue. If she loves you so much then why did she leave? Why didn't she just forsake the money and stay with her family? Orihime made her choice and showed her true priorities as far as Corbeau was concerned. How could he still be so foolish after receiving these papers? The woman had been gone for over six months and obviously was not coming back.

"I know what you're thinking," he blurted not hiding the anger in his voice.

"No, you don't," she rejoined although she was pretty sure he did.

"She wouldn't just leave us. That lawyer threatened her with something, I just know it," he uttered almost to himself.

"Don't do something stupid," she warned apprehensively. She could see that look all over his face. He was about to do something rash that they all might regret.

"I love you." He seized her by the arms and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. "Take care of Isshin for me," he exclaimed as he was running away.

"Ichigo? Ichigo!" she yelled, running after him then stopping because she remembered the children. "Dammit! That idiot!"

"What's wrong?" Sajin asked, appearing in front of her like a phantom.

"Dammit, Sajin!" she screamed scared out of her mind. It had been awhile since he had done something like this. "I think our friend Ichigo is about to run away from home and go find his girlfriend. He's convinced there's some kind of conspiracy to keep them apart."

"I'll take care of it," he announced heroically before taking off after their distraught friend. He should have just declared, 'Here I come to save the day!' He was a hero of sorts especially to her. He seemed to always be there when she needed him like right now.

Corbeau smiled despite herself. "The children!" she exclaimed and ran for the RV upon hearing the panicked cries of her child.

A scene of pure bedlam greeted her. Each boy had an arm of the poor Allete who was frantically crying and screaming between them as they yelled at each other and pulled.

"BOYS!" she bellowed, making them stop immediately. Two pairs of terrified eyes, one brown and one blue, stared at her. She slapped their hands to make them let go of the terrified little girl who she gathered into her arms to calm down. "What did I tell you two?"

"We're sorry," they said together, hanging their heads dejectedly.

"But I yuv hu!" Isshin yelled in his defense.

"It's love, dummy! And you can't love her more than I do," Hiro hollered back. The one person in the world he reserved emotion for was Allete.

"Oh, God help me," she requested quietly raising her eyes to the heavens. She would be glad when in about three years the boys suddenly realized girls were yucky and had cooties. She would have about seven years to recover and rest before they rediscover girls and then became interested in…oh, Lord.

* * *

"He's gone," Renji told her three days later.

"What?" Corbeau asked incredulously.

"What was I supposed to do? Lock him in a cage?" he demanded, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration.

"Yes because he's completely irrational!" she exclaimed, dropping down heavily into her chair. She decided she better shut her mouth before she kept yelling and woke up the children from their naps.

"Sweetheart, try not to worry. I've got to go back," he said, kissing her briefly before he left.

Asking her not to worry was like asking a fish not to stay in the water. Ichigo had a tendency to rush into things without thinking of the long term effects. That was how their whole stupid relationship began. He met Orihime when they had gone into town for something to eat. He was captivated from the start and had been brave enough to just sidle up to her in the restaurant and invite her to the show. They met after the show, things got a little hot and heavy, and then he was totally hooked. She never left his side again until she suddenly took off nearly seven months ago.

"Angel," a soft growl in her ear frightened her from her thoughts.

"Sajin, you damn stalker," she snarled back, pushing him away.

"Ichigo will be all right. He just needs to get some clear cut answers. It will settle it in his own mind and him move on once he knows the truth. You look exhausted. Why don't you go lay down with the kids?" he suggested, stroking her cheek.

Corbeau sighed as his furry fingers tickled her skin with the feather light pressure. She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair as he continued to stroke her, extending his strokes down her neck. "Does it feel this good when I pet you, Wolfie?" she inquired being sensuous without meaning to. Her eyes opened to look at him after he emitted a high pitched whine. "What?"

"Nothing. I better go," he said, standing up from where he was crouched in front of her. He needed to leave - fast.

Corbeau watched him go then closed and locked the door behind him. She took his advice to take a nap with the children, however, her nap was filled with unwelcome yet very desirable erotic dreams of her canine/human friend. Dreams of that long tongue of his licking certain intimate areas that made her body shake with the possible pleasure it would bring her. Then what would the sex be like? What did _it_ look like and how would it feel?

"Holy crap," she muttered, forcing herself into wakefulness to stop the dreams. She was sweating and shaking as she lay on the bed. Her body jerked to a sitting position when Renji opened the door to the bedroom.

"Honey? Are you all right?" he asked quietly so he would not wake the three sleeping kids.

"Yeah. I was just a little tired so I thought I'd take a nap," she answered, unable to move from the bed because she felt weak.

"Are you sick?" he inquired, pressing his hand to her forehead then her cheek. "You're so hot."

'You have no idea,' she thought to herself, leaning forward to slide her arms around him. She was thankful the three children were with her today. She might have given in to lust for the halfling who captivated her.

"I love you so much, baby," he said, kissing her.

"I love you too," she replied. She took a deep breath, laying her head against his chest. It seemed as if the temptation was getting harder to resist from Sajin. Never before had she had thought such sexually explicit things about him or experienced such a strong reaction to them. The two of them had always shared an odd connection from the moment she met him. Maybe it was just the animal within them was drawn to each other. That intense, basic animal need had to be what was making the attraction so strong. She hoped it was just the emotional upheaval of Ichigo's drama that was effecting her and as soon as that went away, this lust would too.

"What do you think about asking Toshiro and Rangiku to babysit tonight so we can some time alone?" Renji inquired, sliding her fingers through her hair and giving her a peck on the lips.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," she replied, pulling him to her for a longer kiss.

"Better hold that thought. I think somebody is waking up," he murmured when Allete whined slightly and began to stir. He didn't even let the child wake up fully before he had her in his arms.

"Renji, look!" she hissed, pointing at the boys. She covered her mouth with her hand to hold back a laugh.

The two boys each had a little hand patting the bed and searching for their dear sweet Allete who had been napping between them. Their hands found each other and after locking their fingers together they settled back down content to hold hands but not knowing whose it was in their sleep. Oh, how she wished she had a camera close by. This would be great blackmail someday. Her husband must have read her mind because he appeared moments later holding it in one hand while Allete was plastered to his hip and held with the other. She watched as he prepared to take the picture.

"Hurry before they wake up," she giggled.

"Oh, this is going to great," he chuckled, focusing the camera. "I can't wait to show them this when they're sixteen."


	12. The Ichigo Retrieval Team

The Ichigo Retrieval Team

Renji was sitting on the floor playing with Allete in his lap while Corbeau held Isshin. The little boy had just cried himself to sleep after wondering where his mama and daddy were. They were both angry with Ichigo. Idiot. He had been gone for three weeks with no word whatsoever. Isshin had effectively been made an orphan since his father ran off after his even more stupid girlfriend who had abandoned them. Orihime wasn't a child who had run away from home for Pete's sake. She was in her twenties and supposedly capable of making her own decisions. Ichigo with his desperate need to be a hero apparently thought he could save her from her own stupidity and went to bring her home. Where the hell is he? They were about to get an answer.

Renji grabbed his phone off the counter above him when it rang. He looked confused at first, then his face immediately looked angry.

"Where are you, dumbass?" he demanded, sitting Allete down on the floor and handing her a toy to keep her busy. He mouthed to his wife that it was Ichigo but she had already guessed.

Corbeau kissed Isshin on the forehead before getting up to go lay him down in the crib. Her husband was gone when she returned, but she could hear him yelling outside.

"You're where?...What did you do?...She won't come back with you, huh?...Yeah, I'll send somebody, dumbass…He's fine. My wife is taking good care of him because she's a good mother. You should have been a good father and stayed here with him…You're one phone call. Well, don't I feel special…It will be a few days but someone will be there to get you," Renji said, hanging up the phone. He loosed a string of curse words and name calling directed at Ichigo that made Corbeau blush. She had seen her husband upset and angry but never like this. He kicked and fussed and yelled some more before he came back into the RV. He was panting he was so furious.

"What is it?" she asked as he flopped down heavily into a chair.

"Ichigo is in jail in Orihime's home town. He went there and raised hell to get her to come back with him. Idiot, moron, dumbass – " His wife cut him off because he was gearing up to unleash uglier terms.

"Daddy!" Corbeau exclaimed, jerking her head toward their little girl happily playing on the floor.

Renji took a deep breath running his hands through his long red hair. He would probably rip it all out right now if he did that too many more times.

"I've got to find someone to go get his stupid ass. I'll be back later," he said, kissing her on the cheek before he walked out.

"Daddy!" Isshin wailed from the bedroom.

"Oh, baby, Daddy should be home soon," she murmured, getting up to retrieve the crying child.

* * *

"Are you kidding?" Corbeau demanded after she was informed the only two people who could possibly go were her and Sajin. She swallowed hard, pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead wishing she could stop her racing thoughts. They would be alone for several days together on the trip because it would be a cross country venture. Coming back would not be so bad because Ichigo would be with them. Getting there would be rife with possibilities to act on temptation; it would be like locking an alcoholic in a liquor store.

"I'm not particularly thrilled myself. But there's no one else that can go. Especially no one else that I can trust to get there with the money and bail him out," Renji said, reaching out to pull her into his arms.

"What about Retsu?" she inquired, dodging his grabbing hands. She wasn't in the mood to be touched.

"Sui Feng's baby is due any day. She has to be here for that," he explained.

"Has Sui Feng ever said who the father is?"

"No. Don't be surprised if the baby has orange hair."

"Renji!"

"Well, it would give a little more credence to Orihime's willingness to abandon his ass. Why would Sui Feng keep being so damn secretive about it? We will know eventually who the father is." He paused a moment before getting back to the issue at hand. "Look, I'm not particularly thrilled with the arrangement myself. I know how you and Dog Breath can be with each other," he stated with a bitter edge to his voice.

Corbeau felt even worse after he said that. She took a deep breath and dropped down onto the ground. The grass was cool and damp with dew since the sun had set hours ago. She shivered from the chilling breeze that blew across her as much as the thought of what lie ahead. Neither she nor her husband had any illusions about the attraction between her and the half wolf. It had been there since the day she met the half breed. They shared a strange connection that even they did not understand but their unusual physical mutation surely had something to do with it. Whatever the cause, it was there.

"Just go get our prodigal son and bring him home. His boy needs him," Renji said, standing next to her. He reached out to touch her, running his fingers through her silky black hair. He took a deep breath before glancing skyward with a prayer for strength to mean what he was about to say. "Be careful, baby. Whatever happens, I'll always love you."

"Nothing will happen," Corbeau stated with resolve. She leaned her head against his thigh as he continued to stroke her head.

"Baby, come inside. I want to show you how much I love you."

* * *

Corbeau kissed the babies with tears in her eyes. There were so many reasons she did not want to go. Two of the biggest reasons were held securely in the arms of her husband. She wondered how all of them, especially Allete, would react when Ichigo returned and Isshin was not with them all time any more. He had become like their own child. She kissed the children again then gave a long kiss to her handsome husband holding the children.

"I love you, Renji," she said, staring deeply into his brown eyes. She had her arms around all three of them and did not want to let go.

"I love you too, baby. Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Toshiro and Rangiku will help me with these two. _Everything _will be fine," he repeated, kissing the top of her head.

Corbeau felt like vomiting as a pit formed in her stomach. She had not been away from him since the day they met. Tears formed in her eyes as she looked at the three of them standing there. Ichigo would be indebted to them for the rest of his life for this.

"Baby, go," he whispered when she kept her arms tightly around them.

"I love you," she whispered, kissing him one last time.

"Mama!" Allete cried when she turned to walk away.

'How did that bitch leave her child?' Corbeau wondered as another plea for her came from her daughter. A second little voice joined in calling her mama and crying for her. Her heart officially broke in that moment. A tear slid from her eye as she got into Sajin's truck.

"Angel –"

"Just drive. Hurry."

* * *

Sajin stole a glance at the sleeping woman. He was irritated with her husband for making her come. He could have handled this by himself. However, considering his appearance things might get a bit dicey so apparently she was here to run interference and be the negotiator. He was the escort and the protector. That was a job he could do and do it well. He always had for her.

"Sajin?" she called. "Where are we?"

"Still a long way from our destination," he answered. "Are you all right?"

"No," she answered honestly. Her chest ached she missed her family so much.

"Angel, are you afraid of me?" he inquired suddenly for some unknown reason.

"Sometimes. The thing I fear the most is what you make me feel," she replied truthfully. She wasn't pulling any punches today. If he did not want a completely honest answer, he better not ask the question.

"I understand. I feel the same way. I don't want anything to happen to jeopardize our relationships."

"That makes two of us."

It was a very uncomfortable and silent ride for the next several hours. Around sunset they stopped at a secluded campground for the night.

"Ever been camping, Angel?," Sajin asked as he set up the tent.

"No. This will be something new for me. I love autumn sunsets. They're so beautiful," Corbeau said, staring at the black silhouette of the landscape against the blood red sky. She pulled her jacket more tightly around her as a sudden chill made her shiver.

Sajin was staring at something beautiful, but it wasn't the sky. He shook his head and returned his attention to setting up the tent. Gazing at her and allowing certain thoughts to form in his head was an experiment in futility and stupidity. Not only did it not help avoid temptation, it made it worse.

* * *

"Are you tired?" Sajin asked after their simple dinner of sandwiches.

"No. Not really. Too much on my mind," she said, staring up at the stars. She was purposely finding other things to look at to avoid his eyes.

"Want to go for a walk? I can see in the dark. I'll lead you," he said, taking her hand in his.

Corbeau took a deep breath concentrating on slowing her heart rate back down. She nodded and smiled at him. Why not? She wouldn't be getting much sleep anyway and she'd rather not get into that tent with him until they were both so tired all they could do was sleep. There was a nice little path that had been made around the camp by the lake and through the woods. They settled into a comfortable silence as they walked, each lost in their own thoughts.

When they entered the woods it suddenly got very dark as the trees closed in around them. Corbeau could hear things skittering and moving across the forest floor. She wasn't afraid because she knew she was protected. An owl hooted in a tree near her, surprising her. She jumped into Sajin, burying her face in his shirt.

"Be still. I wish you could see what I see," he whispered, holding on to her.

Corbeau held on to him, closing her eyes to listen as he whispered in her ear what he saw. The owl that had frightened her was tracking his dinner. There was a mouse that they had scared up crawling through the leaves. As soon as it poked its little twitchy nose above the fallen leaves, then its head, the owl was on it and retrieved the tasty morsel to eat. After allowing the owl to catch his meal, they continued on their way.

"Sajin, have you ever killed anything?" she boldly asked.

"Don't hold back, Angel. Ask me anything," he teased, squeezing her hand gently.

"You're always wearing pants. What do you look like from the waist down?" she queried.

"Corbeau!"

"You said ask anything!"

They had a good laugh about that which both of them needed to lighten up from their heavy thoughts. Without a word, they crawled into the tent and went to sleep.

* * *

Sajin awoke to the bright sunlight streaming through the half open flap of the tent. He heard a soft sighing sound and looked down to find Corbeau in his arms and cuddled against his furry chest. At some time during the night she had gotten cold and moved into his arms not that he minded. It was difficult having her so close. He could not push her away especially when she shivered slightly after he moved his arm and the blanket from around her. Instead of getting up like he needed to and should have, he curled around her and pulled her close to him. His big body completely engulfed her and enveloped her in a warm, fuzzy cocoon.

Corbeau felt so safe and secure. Her hand reached out to stroke the softness that seemed to be all around her. She sighed with contentment when the warmth and softness seemed to close in around her. One word formed in her mind and left her lips in a whisper, "Sajin."

The wolfman was startled to hear his name on her lips spoken in such a sensual manner. He looked down at her, nudging her with his cold canine nose to rouse her up.

Corbeau jumped when something cold and wet touched her cheek. She swatted at it wanting it to go away. Sleep held her tightly just like this fabulous blanket that almost felt like a living breathing creature. It was breathing in her ear almost like a dog panting. Her whole body tightened when something warm and wet slid across her neck. She moaned reaching for the soft furry creature breathing next to her keeping her warm. Sajin. Her eyes snapped open and she was immediately wide awake. She had forgotten who she had slept next to last night until she was immediately aware that she was held firmly in his arms and snuggled against his body. Her eyes drifted closed and she groaned as his tongue licked across her cheek.

"Good morning, Angel," he murmured in her ear. He could get accustomed to waking up to her every morning. Guilt flooded him when he remembered he already had someone to wake up to every morning. "Wake up. We need to get going."

"I'm awake," she said, nuzzling her face against his chest.

"Move."

"You first."

Both of them stayed still and wrapped in each other's arms.

"Sajin, how do you kiss Retsu?" Corbeau inquired a little too directly. What was wrong with her? Why did she keep asking such stupid questions?

"Lean your head back and I'll show you," he whispered in her ear, licking her cheek.

"I'll be waiting in the truck," she announced, unhinging herself from him and crawling out of the tent.

Corbeau stood outside taking several bracing breaths of the cool morning air. She smiled when she heard him chuckling to himself inside the tent. Jerk. He had done that on purpose. Her mind wanted to wander back there, but she refused to allow it. She squealed when her pillow came flying out of the tent and hit her in the head.

"Sorry!" he yelled not even trying to stifle his laughter.

"No you're not," she accused, poking her head back into the tent.

"You're right. I'm not," he admitted, his golden eyes glowing with amusement. He grunted when she pushed him down flat on his belly from his hands and knees. He rolled over and pulled her down on top of him.

Corbeau giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. It suddenly quit being funny when she felt something hard below his waist pressed against her while she lay on top of him.

"We need to go," she announced, trying to get up but he held her on top of him.

"Is there anything else you would like to know?" he asked.

'Yes, and it's rising to the occasion as we speak' she thought to herself. She bit her lip and tried to push herself up again. "Sajin, we have to go now. Before we start something we shouldn't."

"Let's go."


	13. Saving that Idiot Ichigo

Saving that Idiot Ichigo

A day and a half, and thankfully no sexual indiscretions later, Corbeau and Sajin arrived at the small town police station. Ignoring the gaping stares of the police officers and townsfolk, they strode into the building to find their package to be picked up. The poor officer at the front desk promptly fainted after he pointed them toward the jail in the back. They approached the blond officer that appeared morbidly sad until he saw them; his sorrowful appearance changed to abject terror.

"Holy hell!" yelled the officer sitting at the desk. "Ch-Chief! They're here!"

Corbeau stared at the grumpy looking dark haired man that suddenly appeared from a hidden side door. He looked as irritated as she felt. His black eyes were narrowed in anger giving him a definitively furious expression, and she would guess this was his most natural countenance. His black hair seemed awfully shaggy for a police officer's but he was the chief so who was going to tell him to get a haircut?

"I'm Chief Hisagi, can you please get your man and get the hell out of my town?" he demanded angrily, eyeing her critically from head to toe.

"Gladly, Chief," she responded, equally aggravated.

"Damn freaks," he muttered, glaring at Sajin who growled in response.

Corbeau elbowed Sajin hard enough he whimpered. "Don't cause any more trouble here," she hissed at him.

"Yes, ma'am," Sajin mumbled, holding his ribs.

"So you're the one in charge I see," Hisagi said, actually managing a lopsided grin.

Corbeau was shocked his face did not break. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable with anything other than a sour expression. She was pretty sure she would irritate him soon and allow him to go back to his facial comfort zone.

"Quit screwing around and give me Ichigo Kurosaki. We want to get out of here as badly as you want us to," she stated brusquely.

There it was. The half-smile dropped right of his face, and he was back to peeved in an instant.

"Start the paperwork, Kira," he ordered the desk sergeant. "The faster they're gone the better."

Chief Hisagi turned on his heel sharply as if he were executing a military exercise and opened a door behind the sergeant. He disappeared to return moments later with a broken and defeated Ichigo in handcuffs. He unlocked the cuffs and shoved him toward the two people who came for him.

"If you ever come back, you won't leave alive," threatened Chief Hisagi.

"Ichigo," Corbeau gasped, throwing her arms around him. She glowered at the malicious cop before turning her attention to the man in her arms.

The bruises on his face had turned to a disgusting shade of green and yellow since they were almost healed. There were numerous abrasions on his face and neck. His bottom lip had a huge scab on it from where it had been split open. They were informed by the chief that he had been here for two weeks. The rest of the time he had spent stalking and harassing his ex-girlfriend until he finally assaulted her caretaker and that was enough to arrest him. The man who was supposed to be her caretaker was in actuality her husband. When Corbeau heard that she immediately drew back her hand and slapped Ichigo despite his injuries.

"Did you know? Did you know that man was her husband?" she demanded, shaking him by his collar.

"Yes," he mumbled, staring at the floor.

"Dumbass! Sui Feng's baby. Is it yours?" she asked, pulling him down so he was nose to nose with her. She was striking while the proverbial iron was hot; since he was in the mood to tell the truth, she would ask the questions.

"Yes," he answered. He did not offer a single reason or excuse for any of his incredibly stupid actions or decisions. He would be hated no matter what so why bother? He also afraid she would hit him harder if he tried to explain. Although in reality, there was no explanation.

"Bastard! What the hell is wrong with you? Have you lost your damn mind?" She fired off question after question, occasionally interjecting a choice name for him or threatening parts of his anatomy.

The other three men in the room watched and listened, cringing when she mentioned certain male body parts and how she would destroy them. Sajin glanced at the chief who silently observed with an expression of amusement on his face.

"Shouldn't you do something to stop this?" Sajin inquired, wincing when the smacking sound of a slap filled his ears.

"I should. But I'm not. He's getting the ass whooping he deserves," he said, closing his eyes as she drew back her fist. If he doesn't see it, he's not an official witness to assault.

"Corbeau!" Sajin exclaimed, grabbing her arm when she prepared to punch Ichigo again. "He's had enough. Let's go."

"Sajin, finish this. I'll be outside in the truck," she stated in a voice terrifying in its tranquility. Corbeau made a hasty exit as the tears began to fall. She grabbed her phone to call Renji.

"You have him?" her husband asked.

"Yeah. We're about to come home. Oh, and by the way, I passed your test. I never screwed Sajin."

* * *

Two days later they were home again. It had been a quiet ride home. Corbeau avoided speaking to either of them and huddled in a corner of the backseat sleeping most of the way home. They were on the final stretch of the journey when they received the phone call informing them Sui Feng had given birth to a baby girl.

When they arrived home, there was a small group of people waiting to greet them including Renji and the kids. Corbeau hugged and kissed Renji then took Allete from him to hold her and kiss her.

Isshin grabbed her around the knees yelling, "Mama, Mama! I miss you!"

Corbeau scooped him up in to her arms because he did not even seem to notice his father. She was exhausted mentally and physically. Her babies were all she wanted right now so she headed for the RV to be with them.

"He calls her Mama?" Ichigo asked Renji.

Hana was busy checking Ichigo's wounds and medicating them the old fashioned way with peroxide and antibiotic cream. He completely ignored the man's hissing or grunts from the pain. If he had not already received a sound thrashing, he would have given the man another one.

"Yeah. He did it on his own when she was leaving to go get your sorry ass," Renji informed him glaring at his orange haired friend who he wanted to punch himself. His wife had done a remarkable job on that black eye Hana was checking. He hoped something like that wasn't coming his way. He had seriously underestimated his wife in many ways. It had been stupid of him to think that she would not figure out that he had purposely put her alone with Sajin to see what would happen. But he wanted to know. A question that had been plaguing his mind for too long had to be answered. Would she cheat on him with the Halfling who seemed to attract her like flowers attract bees? Thankfully the answer had been no, but now what?

Renji apprehensively returned to the RV after leaving Ichigo in Hana's capable hands. He hoped his friend would do the right thing and go see Sui Feng and his new baby. Maybe there would be some way for Ichigo to make amends there and be the man they need him to be.

Corbeau and the children were sitting on the bed playing quietly when he arrived. He watched as she held both of them close to her, stroking their heads and dropping kisses on their cheeks and foreheads. He should never have sent her. In his selfishness he had broken her heart in two ways: by distrusting her and by taking her away from the children she loved so dearly.

"Are you going to stand there staring or come sit down?" she asked, irritated with him for lingering silently in the doorway.

"Are you upset with me?" he queried, easing down on the bed as if she were bomb that would explode if moved too much.

"Yes. I'm still furious," she answered, brushing her fingers down Allete's cheek.

"Do you love me?"

"Of course. Just because you did something really dumb, and I'm angry with you doesn't mean that I don't love you anymore."

"When did you figure it out?"

"I had a lot of time to think on this trip. I figured it out myself. Out of nearly two hundred people you couldn't find a single one besides me that could do the job? And what was with that statement 'I'll love you no matter what happens'? It really wasn't hard to figure out your intentions once I actually thought about it. How could you, Renji?" Her eyes were full of hurt and brimming with tears when she looked at him. "Yes, I sometimes have feelings I shouldn't when I'm around him. I even confessed that to you so you would know I trust you with everything. I would never act on it. You and my babies mean too much to me. I couldn't lose you."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, unable to meet her gaze. He felt too ashamed. "What are going to do about Isshin?" He reached out to tousle the soft orange spiked hair on the child's head. There was no way to tell it had ever been touched.

"I want him. I want him to be mine. He needs a real mother. Sui Feng will have enough to deal with having a new baby and dealing with that lecherous creep who got her pregnant. I never would have guessed he was such a jerk," she muttered irritably, pulling Isshin into her lap. She kissed his ivory skinned chubby cheek, hugging him until he whined in protest.

"What about me? What are you going to do about me?" he asked, his sad brown eyes on her face.

Corbeau sighed heavily, reaching out to touch his cheek. "I don't know, Renji. What would you have done if I had given in to temptation?"

"I-I don't know," he stammered unable to look at her.

Neither one of them knew what to say after that so they just did not say anything at all.

* * *

Corbeau was out walking, enjoying some rare and coveted time alone. She was hardly ever by herself anymore. Her days were filled with taking care of four children now. Sui Feng's baby had been added to her roster of rugrats. She loved them all though.

Isshin lived with them now receiving frequent visits from his father who would often take the little boy to see his other family. Ichigo was striving to be a good father. He and Sui Feng were discussing the possibility of marriage.

During the times Isshin was gone, Corbeau would dedicate her time and attention to her own daughter and husband. There was almost no time left for her to be with Renji alone. If a little time did arise, she was too tired, or he received a call for some kind of emergency. Things had changed between them, and they weren't quite sure how to fix it. She always felt exhausted and completely spent, emotionally in addition to physically. She dreaded the end of winter because that marked the end of their hiatus and the show would begin traveling and performing again.

Corbeau took a deep breath to help release some of the tension from her body. She pushed through the thick bushes that surrounded the waterfall she had found in hidden in the forest of the property they had called home for the winter break. With a gasp she realized someone else had discovered her secret spot and he was behind the waterfall –naked. She retreated back into the bushes to figure out who was there. The legs were very muscular and shapely – it was so hard to find a man with great legs. She had no idea who it could be and all she could see was from the waist down. The legs were covered with hair that grew thicker until it was like a fur coat on his thighs. A coat? Like a dog or rather a wolf? With dismay and fascination she realized she was looking at Sajin when he moved into the light from the shadows of the small cave behind the water.

Corbeau covered her mouth with her hands to keep from crying out in surprise. If her hands had not been in place she surely would have made a lot of noise when he turned around with his front to her. Her eyes opened so big she could feel the skin straining at the corners to allow them to open even wider. From the waist down to his upper thighs he looked just like any other man. Anatomically he was definitely all man and a lot of it. That was the one place on his body along with his upper inner thighs that was devoid of hair. She fell forward through the bushes, successfully blowing her cover.

"Angel, what are you –" Sajin began talking then suddenly remembered he was naked. He snatched the towel off the big boulder beside him and wrapped it around his waist. He walked through the waterfall soaking the towel but keeping himself covered which was the purpose of it right now.

"I-I thought I was the only one who knew about this place. I-I'm sorry," she apologized, turning to go. Her face literally stung with embarrassment. She could only imagine how red she was. Her wrist was immediately seized by him preventing her from escaping.

"Don't go," he requested as he held her firmly.

Corbeau had avoided him since their return and that was almost two months ago. It had been killing him not being able to see her much less talk to her. They both believed the thoughts and feelings would go away if they avoided each other. He had heard from some of the performers that things were not going well for her and Renji. Even though he had wondered what they meant exactly, he had never asked. He could feel her trembling when he pulled her into his arms.

"I shouldn't be here," she said, but she was unable to pull away. Her breath caught in a loud gasp when she felt his hand sliding under her shirt across her belly. "I should go."

"Tell me you don't want me and I'll let you go," he whispered, not moving his hand any further.

"Sajin, please…"


	14. Moving On

Moving On

Corbeau stared at the golden eyes that had been studying her face. She bit her lip as she wrestled with herself mentally. 'Ask him to let you go and run,' her mind screamed at her. Her body on the other hand begged her to grab the towel and pull it off. Temptation loomed large and furry and was actually holding her in his embrace. The forbidden fruit that had plagued her existence was gazing into her eyes and about to grope her breast.

"Angel, do you want me?" Sajin murmured.

Did she? Definitely. Should she? Definitely not. Then again…maybe she should just give in. Renji seemed bent on believing she was having an affair with the wolfman anyway. The tension and anger between them had become a constant in their lives, and it was wearing on their nerves. Hers sometimes flared into full blown resentment and hatred. This was one of those times and that was why she had come here to be alone.

"Sajin, I-I," she stammered unable to finish the sentence. A lump formed in her throat and her mind whirled with conflicting thoughts. She felt as if she were being torn in two mentally.

"Raven!" Renji's voice rang through the trees.

Corbeau turned her head toward her husband's voice, and she felt Sajin release her. She knew if she turned back there would be no one there. He could practically vanish into thin air when necessary and at this moment it was definitely necessary. Her knees weakened and gave way, and she found herself on the ground. She did not know if it hurt because she was too numb. What had she almost done?

"Raven! Baby, where are you?" he yelled again. His voice sounded strained and worried.

"I-I'm here," she called out barely above a whisper. She cleared her throat, allowing a few tears to fall to loosen the muscles constricting her voice. "Renji, I'm here!"

Renji burst through the bushes a few yards down from her. He ran to her, obviously alarmed by the fact she was sitting on the ground crying. After dropping to his knees and putting his arms around her, his cold, trembling lips pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"What are you doing here?" he inquired, sitting on the ground beside her.

"I come here sometimes to think," she answered which was exactly what she had come here to do today until something unexpected had grabbed her attention.

"What were you thinking about?" he asked, avoiding her gaze.

"About us. What are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't act stupid, Renji. Our marriage is dying and you know it."

"What do we do?" he inquired just as confused and at a loss as her.

They weren't the only ones falling apart. What the hell had happened to everyone? It was as if insanity was a disease and had infected everyone. Relationships were falling apart. Several people had quit and left the show. Everyone was arguing, and it seemed like fist fights were a nightly occurrence. For once, Ichigo seemed to be the one who had his crap together since he and Sui Feng were mending their relationship and becoming great parents.

"You've got to get over this thing," she murmured, slowly raising her eyes to look at him. "It's destroying you and our relationship. I want _you_. I love _you_. Don't you know that?"

"Please forgive me. I know I've said and done some hurtful things you didn't deserve," he said, nervously pulling at the dead grass beside him.

'Now there's the understatement of the week,' she thought to herself but kept her mouth shut. Now was not the time for sarcastic comments.

"We've got two babies counting us. We've got to get through this thing," he stated in a way that made her wonder if he were talking to himself.

"Renji, kiss me," she requested, leaning forward. "It can be your promise that you're done with this Sajin thing and we'll move on from here."

Corbeau closed her eyes when he leaned toward her. Her whole body felt as if she had received an electrical shock when his lips touched hers. It had been a long time since she had felt that way.

* * *

Corbeau lay beside Renji tickling his nose with the tip of her wing. She did not want to wake him, but she had to. She had been awake since well before dawn just staring at him and cuddling close to his body. Whatever had been standing between them had been given a hard shove out of the way. They had broken down the invisible barrier that separated them. She felt like she did the first few months they were together – incredibly happy and totally in love. Even the children seemed to notice the difference with the tension gone and the new atmosphere of contentment and joy.

Renji had let go of the suspicions and accusations. If he did not catch himself before a snide comment was made, a raise of his wife's eyebrow immediately alerted him and he was swift to apologize. From time to time, new problems and tensions would arise but they would address them posthaste instead of ignoring them and allowing them to fester and get worse like a bad wound.

Today was moving day and Renji had to get up and get going. Everyone would be here soon with their children for her to watch so they could pack up and get ready. Corbeau tickled his nose again finally eliciting a groan and a swat from him. She stifled a chuckle as he rolled over onto his belly and faced away from her.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," she murmured, kissing his neck. She brushed her fingertips across his back making goose bumps rise over his skin.

"Baby, stop," he whined, shivering under her light touch.

"Come on, sweetheart, wake up now and you can make love to me before you go," she whispered, kissing his neck. She smiled broadly when he rolled back over, meeting her gaze in the dim light of dawn.

"I'm so glad I didn't lose you. I love you," he murmured, sliding his arms around her. "Just let me hold you."

Corbeau snuggled against him, pressing her lips to his chest over his heart. How could she ever live without him? A grunt and a whine from the crib caught her attention. It sounded as if Allete was waking up.

"Go ahead, baby," Renji told her when he felt her body tense. He knew she wanted to go check on her.

Corbeau kissed him briefly on the lips before scrambling out of the bed. She looked down into the crib and tears sprang to her eyes with what she saw.

Allete had been waking up but Isshin had snuggled up next to her and put his arms around her. She had calmed down and went back to sleep yet he was still patting her back.

Corbeau felt Renji's hand on her back as he silently eased up next to her. "How cute is that?" she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Our precious babies. Sweetheart, there's something we need to talk about," he said, taking her by the hand and leading her out of the room. Now probably wasn't the most opportune time to discuss this, but there never really would be a good time.

Corbeau's nerves were immediately on edge when he urged her to sit down. She anxiously twisted her fingers together while he explained that Ichigo wanted Isshin. With tears streaming down her cheeks and her heart breaking, she nodded that she understood. The child was his after all, and there was nothing she could do. She would still see him every day.

"Besides, if they're raised as brother and sister, how will they get married some day?" Renji asked, hugging her to him. "It will be okay, Raven. We will be okay."

* * *

The caravan arrived at their new location at dawn two days later to find an interesting surprise. Don Kanonji had left a day ahead and now they knew why. He was sitting in the middle of the field with a group of about ten women. They appeared to be a troupe of gypsies and belly dancers which is exactly what they were. The belly dancers would be a part of both the mainstream show and the more adult shows. The fortune tellers would have booths set up along the midway leading to the main freak show tent. This show was getting better and more interesting year by year.

The next day Corbeau decided to take the children to the area where Rangiku and the belly dancers were practicing and working on a new show routine. She was content sitting on the blanket watching while the children ignored them for the most part with only the occasional curious glance.

"Come on! Come dance with us!" Rangiku exclaimed, beckoning her friend to join in with a wave of her hand and her hips. It was no surprise the woman caught on quickly to their style of dancing.

"Oh, no, I couldn't!" she protested waving her hands as two of the belly dancers shimmied her way. "No, please, really!"

"Come on, we'll show you," said one of the dark women who held one of her hands. The woman had dark eyes, hair, and cinnamon colored skin. She was stunning as were all of them. The lovely exotic dancers would be a great addition to their show.

"It's fun!" another girl assured her, grabbing her other hand.

Both women pulled simultaneously and jerked her to her feet. When Corbeau stood in the middle of the group, the children immediately became very interested.

"What doin', Mama?" Isshin asked, his dark brown eyes watching her carefully. They were slowly trying to get him out of the habit of calling Corbeau his mama.

"She's dancing," Hiro answered although he was not asked.

Amazingly enough an argument did not begin between the boys. They continued to watch their caregiver instead. Allete lost interest and turned to poke Himawari, Ichigo and Sui Feng's baby, who was playing quietly on the pallet beside her. They were all having a great time dancing and laughing until one of the women suddenly began screaming. She was yelling something in their indigenous language called Romani. She was pointing toward the trees and chattering loudly and hurriedly.

"What is she saying?" Corbeau inquired, moving toward the children. She grabbed her cell phone as she scanned the trees for what the woman saw. Then she found him.

There was a man standing behind one of the trees. Not only was his behavior odd, he looked incredibly abnormal. He appeared to be some kind of psycho killer clown complete with make-up.

"Renji, send Sajin and Kenpachi quick! We're out by the gypsies tents. We've got a watcher and he's a weird one," Corbeau said, willing her voice to stay calm as she watched the man carefully peer around the tree.

"Weird? Weirder than any of us?" he inquired with a snort.

"Much weirder," she replied, spreading her wings out to cover the children. How painfully ironic for a stranger to be weirder than a half raven, half wolf, or any of the other dozens of human oddities they employed.

"I'm coming your way too. Hang on. We'll be there soon," he assured her.

"Corbeau? Is that really you?" the man asked, walking out from behind the tree.

Damn. A full view of him was downright disturbing. It's quite momentous when a freak of nature finds something that disquiets them. His face was covered in the thick black grease paint make up like the clowns use except for his nose, cheeks, and a streak on his chin that was white paint. His eyes were the most unusual shade of gold, like pure honey. He was wearing an unusual headdress that reminded her of what the pharaohs of ancient Egypt wore. As he moved closer she could see was wearing a long, flowing robe type garment. What planet did this guy fall from?

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Corbeau demanded, standing up after the women retrieved the children from behind her. She glanced to make sure they were a safe distance away before walking forward to confront the bizarre stranger.

"I am Mayuri Kurotsuchi," he announced, moving close enough to touch her.

Corbeau steeled herself as he reached out to stroke her cheek. She hoped the rescue crew would be here soon.

"Hey! Get the hell away from my wife!" Renji yelled.

"Your name is meaningless. Who are you?" she repeated, swallowing hard. There was something familiar about him; a nagging fear of his true identity poked at her brain and pricked at her spine. Her body began to tremble as he cupped her face with both of his hands. Those striking gold eyes stared into hers with a coldness and scientific inquisitiveness that reminded her of someone. Was he analyzing her?

"You wouldn't recognize the name because you never knew my real name. You called me father."


	15. Daddy Dearest

This chapter requires a warning for violence and the death of two beloved characters and two not so beloved characters. I'm sorry, but for the sake of the story it had to be done. *No anime characters were harmed in the writing of this story.*

* * *

Daddy Dearest

"Father," Corbeau whispered, feeling as if she could not breathe. This was not the man she remembered. She backed away from him to remove his hands from her face. "Why are you here?"

"I heard that a Freak Show would be here this week. I came to investigate to see if by some miniscule chance you would be with them. The odds were in definitely in my favor. Here you are," he said, stepping toward her. He walked around her, looking her over from head to toe. "I wanted to see if you were still alive after all these years. I always knew you were stubborn and resourceful. You were supposed to be my greatest creation," Mayuri announced proudly, seizing her by the wing and jerking her ruthlessly. He immediately stopped when a pair of big hands slammed down on his shoulders and threw him to the side like a rag doll.

"Do not touch her," Kenny warned, pushing Corbeau behind him to shield her with his massive body.

Mayuri sat on the ground, stunned and unable to move momentarily from the shock of being thrown like a child's plaything. He shook his head as if to resituate his brain and unsteadily stood to his feet. He turned his attention back to his daughter who was standing beside the incredibly tall, fantastically strong man. "You were a failure. Those damn wings. A genetic defect I did not anticipate from the cocktail of genetic material given to your mother. Humans are so broken and damaged. But I made a better human, a perfect human in your sister. She became my ultimate triumph where you let me down."

"Creation? Sister? None of this makes sense," she mumbled, backing away from Kenny. "But it wasn't my fault. You made me. Made me…" She felt herself falling. Before she could hit the ground, her husband's strong arms circled her waist and held her against him. They both dropped when his knees weakened as well. To say this was unexpected or shocking could not come close to describing how it really felt.

Sajin moved to kneel down in front of the dumbstruck couple to hide them from the unwelcome stranger's view. Not being able to see them did not keep the man from talking.

"The memories you have are not real. The fact that you recall your father being a scientist is one of the few nuggets of truth in your manufactured memories. And I did sell you for money," he added casually as if he were referring to selling any random, unwanted item.

"But why?" she asked. "Why did you sell me?"

"I needed money for more research tools for experiments. Face it, in the end you were a complete failure. Other than those damned wings you were perfect. Every time I cut them off they would grow back," he heartlessly informed her. He did not care how cruel the truth was to the woman he had done these things to.

The people listening could not imagine the sadistic barbarism it took for him to purposely excise her wings or the agony she had to endure from the procedure. This man was the scary kind of crazy. He bore the kind of insanity that produced serial killers and mass murderers.

"Hey! You bastard!" Renji yelled, standing up as Sajin turned to take Corbeau into his arms. "She's not deaf or stupid. Unlike you, she has feelings. You're hurting those feelings which is pissing me off terribly."

"Who are you?" Mayuri demanded with a scowl of derision on his face as he eyed the redheaded, tattooed man.

"I'm her husband asshole and you have no right to call yourself her father. You might have genetically engineered her, but you're no father," he reprimanded the crazy man in their midst.

"Well, she was a great help to me. Where I failed with her, I created perfection in her sister," he retorted with obvious conceit and vanity.

"Oh, god," Corbeau gasped, wincing as if she had been stabbed. She had been stabbed; skewered right through the heart with that man's atrocious words. "I was a science experiment gone wrong? I'm a genetic defect of a genetic mutation? Oh, my god."

"Angel, stop it," Sajin hissed, pulling her close to his body. He felt her body shaking and knew she was crying. Soon the fur on his chest was soaked because she was crying so profusely, but she never made a sound. The psychotic scientist was droning on about how he corrected all of the mistakes he made in her DNA to make his ideal daughter Nemu. "You're not a defect. You're absolutely beautiful and perfect. Don't listen to any more of this."

"Sajin, let me go," she growled, pushing his hands away from her ears.

"No, I won't," he argued, holding on to her.

"Sajin, let – me – go," she repeated, slowly enunciating each word.

There was something dark and malicious in her voice that made him release her and move away. "Oh, Corbeau, no," he gasped when he looked at her. He had never called her by her name.

Her eyes were completely black with no white sclera showing. Her face had contorted into mask of rage that made her look as crazy as the man who called himself her father. She would not respond to anything Sajin said, easily shoving him away when he tried to hang on to her.

"Get those kids out of here! Renji, Kenny! Get the hell out of there!" Sajin yelled, pushing two of the gypsies toward a path of retreat. He could tell things were about to get bad – really, REALLY bad.

"Oh, damn!" Renji and Kenny yelled in unison when they saw her running toward them. Her intended target was Mayuri, but they were in the way. They soon remedied that by separating as they ran toward her. She passed by them so fast a small breeze blew over them when she was past them.

"There's my girl! I knew you still had it in you!" the insane cretin bellowed. He opened his arms wide for her as she darted toward him.

Corbeau unleashed a hellish screech that brought to mind the pterodactyl and what it might have sounded like. She vaulted from the ground ten feet in front of him and landed on his shoulders knocking him down to the ground and onto his back. She settled on his chest to peer down at him with her sinister and malicious completely black eyes.

"Do you intend to kill me?" he panted, almost orgasmic at this point he was so excited by her display. Apparently this was one of her defects that had remained dormant until his appearance. Whether he had purposely created this response, no one knew but him. What was obvious was his thrilled reaction to the exhibition of her strength.

"Renji! What the hell is going on?" Sajin demanded, grabbing the distressed man by the shoulders.

"I don't know! I've never seen anything like this! I've seen her mad before but this…this…" he was at a total loss for words as he looked at his wife sitting on the man's chest like a bird perches on a wire.

"This is scary as hell is what this is!" Kenpachi exclaimed, his one good eye huge and round as he stared at the unbelievable spectacle before him.

"Give me one good reason not to kill you, _Father_," she demanded, her voice dripping with loathing for the man beneath her feet.

"Go ahead, kill me," he urged, staring at her.

"No. I'm not a monster like you," she growled between her clenched teeth.

"Oh? Would you like a mirror? I beg to differ, my darling. You're a monster because I made you a monster. Look around you! Look at the people you're with! As they say birds of a feather flock together," he stated caustically, glaring at her as if he were attempting to determine how to kill her before she killed him. He was completely unashamed of the derogatory and mocking use of the adage.

"I'm not the monstrosity, you crackpot, you are. You're reprehensible and revolting. You create something imperfect and despise your creation because _you _made a mistake. You are the failure! Not me. Why should I let you live to destroy something else? Or worse yet make another abomination?" she inquired, waiting for an answer.

"Corbeau, no!" Renji yelled, grabbing her by the shoulders. He jumped back when she turned and made an awful squawking sound that hurt his ears. "You're not a killer. Stop this. I love you. Allete needs you. I need you. Please, baby."

Corbeau stopped, blinking at him. The black receded to her pupil, and she appeared to be in her right mind again. She took her husband's outstretched hand, and he pulled her off of the psychotic man's chest.

"A baby? You had a baby! You were supposed to be sterile, incapable of procreation. What have you done?" Mayuri inquired, getting to his feet. He brushed off his robes and glared her. "I can't believe you were so reckless as to make another defect like you."

"Nobody ever said we couldn't kill him," Kenny remarked running toward the psycho clown. He had enough of the evil man. Sajin growled and snarled, dropping to all fours to join the hunt.

"No, you can't!" Mayuri protested, holding up his hand. He turned to run making it into the woods just as the wolfman leaped toward him and disappeared into the bushes.

A pitiful scream rang through the air along with a terrible growling and the horrid sound of flesh ripping. Kenny disappeared into the trees as well and his bellowing echoed into the clearing where Renji and Corbeau stood. A howl split the air along with more blood curdling screams from the obviously dying man.

"SAJIN, NO!" she screamed, attempting to get out of Renji's arms to rush to him.

Renji put his hands over Corbeau's ears to keep her from hearing the awful growls and screams of horror and suffering while he led her away. He took her to where the gypsies and Rangiku were hiding with the children. He watched as his wife carefully took their frightened, screaming daughter into her hands to pull her close and comfort her. His heart was beating at a frantic pace and it was hard to breathe as he recalled her frightening appearance when she had attacked that man. He hoped he never saw that part of her again.

* * *

No one felt like performing in the show that night, but they could not cancel. They already had a full house and would have to do a second show for all of the people standing around outside and the new ones constantly arriving.

Everyone shied away from Kenpachi and Sajin, keeping their distance and averting their gazes whenever one of them would walk by. Only Yachiru and Corbeau would acknowledge their presence. They did not ask any questions about what had happened to Mayuri. The man had disappeared as quickly as he had appeared so no one bothered to admit he ever existed at all in their world.

By the time the two shows had ended, everyone was exhausted and ready to go to bed. Renji had just returned to the RV and put his arms around his wife when the distinct sound of shots from a high powered rifle reverberated through the night.

"Sajin!" Corbeau exclaimed, nearly falling down the steps in her haste to get out of the RV.

"Corbeau, wait!" he yelled after her.

"Renji! There's no time! He's in trouble! Get some help!" she screamed, running as hard as she could toward his trailer.

More shots split the cool spring night air along with a plaintive howl. A woman's mournful scream reverberated through the air completely shredding Corbeau's last nerve and nearly her sanity. She was close enough to see Retsu standing over Sajin's body with her hands up in a surrender position. The silhouetted figure in front of the helpless woman pulled up the rifle pointing it at Retsu who had no weapon and no defense. The killer turned and ran before she could see anything more than a shadowy figure.

"NO, NO!" Corbeau screamed, attempting to run faster. The sound of the shot rang through the air and she watched in abject terror and despair as Retsu's body dropped onto Sajin's. "No, God, no, please," she begged in a semblance of prayer. She slid to a stop in front of their trailer where their two still bodies lay in the dim light of a gas lantern.

When Renji arrived on the scene, Corbeau had knelt down by the two people pulling Sajin's head into her lap while she stroked Retsu's blood spattered face. The woman had given up everything to be with the half wolf. In the end, she even gave up her life to be with him.

"Renji, get Hana, please," she implored him, staring up at him with tears flowing down her face. Her hands and lap were covered with blood, and she continued to stroke the faces of her two dear friends.

"Corbeau, it's too late," he mumbled, barely above a whisper.

"No, it can't be. Hana! Hana!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Everyone began to slowly appear at the site staring at the dead couple and the crying woman who held them and stroked them as if willing them to come back to life. Hana pushed through the crowd, dropping to his knees beside her. With tears in his eyes, he felt for pulses and checked the wounds. The shots had been instantly fatal hitting each of them in the heart.

"Hana, you've got to help them. Please," she begged, but he shook his head. "But they can't be dead! They can't be! Hana, please!"

"Corbeau, they're gone!" he yelled in her face, shaking her roughly by the shoulders. She was distraught and so was he, but she had to face the terrible truth: they were dead.

Don Kanonji appeared, kneeling down beside the both of them. No one had ever seen that man cry or show much of any emotion so they were all surprised when he began weeping. Agonizing wails and sobs followed while the dark haired young man held the woman with the wings. Her wings opened up and moved around the two men in an effort to offer them some kind of support during their mourning. Sniffing and sobbing started sweeping through the whole crowd as the horrified stupefaction wore off to the realization of what happened.

"Did anyone see who did this?" Don Kanonji yelled. No answer but the anguished cries of the sorrowful individuals. "Did anybody see anything at all?"

"I did!" Kenpachi yelled appearing in front of them before Corbeau could answer. He dropped the woman he held by the collar on the ground. Apparently, she had a tragic accident that ended with a broken neck. He held the rifle in his hand.

Corbeau stared down at the wolfman stroking his face. She assumed the other dead woman was Nemu, the one Mayuri had referred to has her sister – her_ perfect_ sister. She couldn't look at the body because she was close to her breaking point. At this time, she would rather grieve over a friend she loved than to be upset by the stranger who killed him. Tears streamed down her face in a constant flow that seemed to have no end. Her trembling fingers touched Retsu's pale cold face and a loud sob escaped her. They were dead. How could they be dead?

Renji stood in front of her barring her view of Nemu. His wife had endured enough for the day. He listened to Don Kanonji as he pitilessly ordered Ikkaku and Kenny to take the bodies of Mayuri and Nemu to the forest to burn them. Those two deserved to burn in hell but since they could not deliver them there personally, a hidden fire in the woods without mourners and without acknowledgement would have to do.

"Sajin and Retsu deserve a celebration for their lives. Everyone! You have until dawn to say your good byes. Then we will give them a proper good-bye together," Don Kanonji announced with a disturbingly calm deliberateness. "Kenny, Ikkaku, have the funeral pyre ready by dawn for them. We will conduct a Native American death ceremony to send them back to the great spirit in the sky."

"Why are you doing this?" Renji inquired, pulling Don Kanonji away from Corbeau and the crowd waiting to say their farewells. He did not want them to hear the conversation he was about to have with the man.

"Renji, I have to do this. I've got to protect my family at all costs. What do you think will happen if the local authorities find all the bodies? Retsu and Sajin will become science experiments, Sajin in particular. They will blame someone for this. What chance do any of us stand? Don't forget what we are," Kanonji reminded him.

"We're not monsters," he growled in response, his hands forming fists by his sides.

"No, but they are." The man patted him on the shoulder before he walked away.

Renji looked at his wife who was still crying and slowly rocking back and forth to comfort herself. She understood. She understood perfectly the evil within so called 'normal' human beings.


	16. Mama Bird

This is probably the next to the last chapter of this story so time has been fast forwarded a bit.

* * *

Mama Bird

"Bird," Corbeau repeated to Isshin pointing to the picture of the blackbird with its wings outstretched in flight.

Isshin patted her wing then stroked her feathers. "Bird, Mama," Isshin said.

"Bird," she patiently repeated again. She pointed at Sui Feng who had Himawari in her lap.

Himawari laughed and clapped her chubby little hands together as everyone's attention turned to them. She looked something like a sunflower with her bright orange hair that poked out in all directions and her dark brown eyes. They hoped time and length would tame that hair.

"That's Mama," she corrected, still pointing at the smiling woman.

"Mama Bird," he said, laying his head on her back against her wing. "Mama Bird, I love you."

Corbeau glared at Sui Feng when she snorted from stifling a giggle.

"I think it's precious," she chuckled.

"Oh, yes, of course you do. You're not the one being called that," Mama Bird snapped, smiling at the little boy when he came around to look at her face. "I love you too, Carrot Top."

Isshin kissed her cheek then plopped down by Allete. The kids were growing way too fast. The boys, Isshin and Hiro, were now four years old and Allete was three. Himawari was eighteen months old and her parents had just celebrated their first anniversary.

Life had carried on after the nightmarish incident that occurred over a year ago. It had not been easy, but it was move on or die. There was no choice. Besides, there was too much to live for: spouses, children, and many friends, some so close they were like family. Things had been weird for everyone for a while but time healed the pain and diminished the memories. Time is a process that continues with the inability to stop. Whether they are good or bad, it brings changes.

* * *

"MAMA!" Allete's terrified and pain filled shriek pierces and carries above the dull roar of the crowd teeming in the midway.

"She's at the fortune teller's booth!" Kenny yells from ten feet away.

Corbeau is thankful the man can see above the crowd. She sees one of the fortune tellers bent over the six year old Allete speaking loudly and hurriedly in Romani to her friend. The name Hana catches her attention before the other woman quickly runs off. What could Hana possibly be needed for? Her eyes see that the back of her child's white t shirt is covered in blood and two bony projections have pushed through the material. She runs to her terrified child who is bent over her knees sobbing in fear and agony. It's beginning.

"Sweetheart, look at Mama," she ordered in the calmest voice she could manage. The panicked child ignored her and continued to howl. "Allete! Look at me, baby!"

"M-m-mama, i-it h-hurts," the child stuttered, her pretty face twisted with suffering.

"I know baby. I'm sorry, but it will hurt. This is what we talked about. Just calm down," she murmured in a soothing voice, stroking her child's long red hair that was the same color as her father's. It was difficult for her to keep herself calm. It was hard to see her child in so much pain, especially when she knew what it felt like. At least Allete's wings would NEVER be cut off; that was one pain she would never have to endure. Bile rose in Corbeau's throat from the memory as she held her child tightly in her arms and kissed her forehead.

"What is it?" Hana asked, his big blue eyes wide with dread. He had been nervously anticipating this moment along with the child's parents.

"It's happened," she responded, showing him her daughter's back. She lay her hand around the bony protrusion poking through her daughter's shirt.

Without another word, Hana gathered the child into his strong arms to carry her back to his medical trailer. He did not want to do this in front of the audience of unwelcome spectators that had gathered.

"Corbeau, take off her shirt and wrap this sheet around her. Lay her down on the table on her belly," he gently ordered, leaving them alone in the separate room while he went to gather supplies. When he returned, he gave the pale and frightened looking woman a brief hug before he explained what he was about to do. "I'm going to make a small incision around the exit points of the wing bones to allow them to come through the skin with less resistance. This should lessen the pain and speed the healing. I'll give her something for pain. Sit down and don't worry."

Corbeau nodded dumbly, unable to speak as she held back the tears. Nausea unexpectedly overwhelmed her. "I-I've got to leave for a minute," she informed him, exiting the room.

It startled her how sick she felt as she ran outside to hide behind a nearby tree to vomit. She was grateful her daughter was in capable hands and her suffering would soon be stopped. Her stomach threatened to empty itself a second time as the memories started flooding back to her. It was a mixture of images like a slideshow mashed together with sounds and feelings that unfortunately made perfect sense: the scream of a child, pain, blood, a scalpel, the sound of crying, more pain, black feathers lying in pools of blood on a white tile floor, long white bones – oh, dear God, please stop the pain. Her body could not take it anymore. She dropped to her knees as her body seized again and her stomach forced out its contents.

"Raven! Oh, baby!" Renji cried out. He had heard her before he saw her and followed the sound to find her on her knees getting sick. He pulled her up into his arms and took her into the trailer once she stopped.

Hana had been standing over a now sleeping Allete carefully examining the burgeoning wings. He was startled when Renji came crashing in with a shuddering and sick Corbeau.

"What happened?" he asked when the upset man lay his wife on the other examining table.

"I don't know. I found her outside vomiting profusely. Now she can't even talk. She won't stop crying," Renji said, restating the obvious as the woman sobbed loudly while writhing as if in pain.

Hana resorted to his original methods of medicine and healing by placing his glowing palms on her head. He shuddered violently because he could see what was going on in her head. That was a new and interesting in development in his powers.

"Oh, damn! No wonder. I've got to stop this," he muttered, going to his locked medicine cabinet. He quickly opened it with his key and retrieved a bottle of clear fluid and a syringe.

"What is that?" the concerned husband inquired, his eyebrows drawing together as he scowled fiercely.

"It's a sedative. It will put her to sleep and stop the flow of thoughts running through her brain. Renji, it was terrible. She was remembering what that psycho had done to her," he explained, poking the needle in her arm to administer the drug.

"Is there any way to get rid of her memories? Like wiping them totally out of her brain?" Renji asked, stroking her hair.

"Not without frying her brain and destroying them all including the ones of you and Allete. No. It's not worth it," he said resolutely, holding his glowing palms over her forehead and belly. A smile suddenly curled Hana's lips.

"What are you smiling about, Doc?" Renji asked.

"Congratulations, Dad. You've got another one on the way."

Eight months later they were blessed with a baby boy they named Jiro. He had black hair and brown eyes. When he was born, he did not have the bony protrusions on his back like Allete had. Even so, Hana closely observed him like he had his sister. As time passed and nothing happened, he determined that apparently the anomaly would only be passed to females.

* * *

Allete was sitting under a tree reading when Hiro appeared. She liked the company of her friend, but she would prefer to be alone right now. Her fourteen year old mind was whirling with so many confusing thoughts. Most of them were about her feelings concerning the boy standing in front of her and their best friend, Isshin. Lately she had been feeling like she wanted to be more than friends. But which one? Both of them had given her hints that they wanted to be more than friends. Of course, Isshin had given more than hints but that was just his way. She never had to wonder what he was thinking or feeling. Hiro was more sly and subtle about it. He would find ways to brush against her or be near her along with making veiled statements of intentions or feelings.

"What are you reading?" he inquired, sitting down beside her.

"Just a stupid romance novel. I'm a girl I can't help myself," she said, slightly embarrassed when he raised an eyebrow.

"So is romance something you think about a lot?" he inquired, staring at the ground. He turned his icy blue eyes on her. "Is there anyone in particular you think about when you do?"

Allete remained silent when he placed his hand on her arm near her shoulder. His palm was cool and felt good on her warm, bare skin. Her eyes met his, and she had just opened her mouth to answer him when Isshin appeared.

"Get your damn hand off of her, Hiro!" Isshin yelled, glaring at the blond.

"I don't hear any complaints from her," Hiro replied spitefully, running his hand down Allete's arm. He did it just to piss off the jealous, short tempered boy even more. "Besides, you don't own her."

"And neither do you so paws off, Shorty!" he bellowed, his tanned skin reddening with anger.

"All right you two, stop this!" Allete exclaimed, standing up. At times like this she wanted nothing to do with either one of them. In the end, they were both idiots.

"I'm not doing anything! It's him!" Hiro quickly defended himself.

"Well, if you hadn't had your hands on her…" The orange haired boy poked his friend in the chest and that was all it took to set off a fight.

"Stop it! Stop it you idiots!" she shrieked as they traded fists.

Corbeau was inside RV just a few feet away so the noise caught her attention. She shook her head, deciding she better go outside to stop it before they drew blood like they sometimes did. This was nothing new. As soon as the hormones had started to rage so had tempers. How long would this continue?

The boys were into it in a severe way this time. They resorted to using martial arts techniques to take each other down. They had become too closely matched and knew each other's signatures moves by this time.

"Mama, are you going to stop this?" Allete asked, her eyebrows drawn together with concern.

"Allete, when are you going to pick one so they'll stop this?" her mother queried, getting ready to step in when Isshin was knocked to the ground. Before she could move, he had sprung off the ground and back to a standing position, quickly landing a punch to Hiro's gut. "Impressive," she murmured.

"Mama!" her daughter gasped. She could not believe her mother's reaction.

"All right, I'll stop it," she said, walking toward the two boys. She opened her wings using them to knock the boys to the ground. Her eyes studied them as they both lay there panting with bruises beginning to form on their faces. "That's enough you two."

"Mama Bird, he started it," Isshin accused, pointing at Hiro who glared at him angrily.

"No he didn't. You did. I heard the whole thing," Corbeau snapped. "The three of you need to work this out. I've had enough of the fighting."

* * *

"Mama Bird!" a deep male voice calls, banging on the door of the RV. It sounds like Ichigo but it's his son Isshin. Thankfully, he's the only one who has ever called her that nickname. She is still trying to adjust to his grown up voice.

"Jiro, go attack Isshin for me," Corbeau told her rambunctious ten year old.

"Okay, Mama!" her son enthusiastically replies before he runs to the door. He loves Isshin who is like big brother. He throws open the door and leaps onto his favorite person.

"Help, Mama Bird, I'm being attacked," Isshin yells, tussling with the little brother of his girlfriend.

"Allete! You're future husband's here!" Renji yelled, hiding behind his newspaper with a big grin on his face.

"He's just my boyfriend, Dad!" she shrieked back, appearing from the bedroom.

"Just because I haven't asked yet doesn't mean I won't, Allete! You're only sixteen!" he yells from outside while playing with her brother.

Allete rolled her eyes then spun around for her mother's approval. "How do I look?"

"Perfect," Corbeau complimented, thrilled that the child was wearing a t-shirt and jeans instead of running around half naked like most girls her age. "Where are you two going?"

"To the movies," she answered, walking toward the door as an orange head peeked in.

"Hey, Uncle Renji!" Isshin exclaimed, bounding up the steps.

"Hello, son in law," he responded, keeping his face hidden.

Corbeau shook her head. She could tell her husband was smiling.

"Dad!" Allete shrieked in horror. She grabbed Isshin's hand while he grinned happily. Obviously he liked the idea. "I'll be back by eleven."

"All right, dear. Be careful," Corbeau called as she watched them walking away holding hands.

"Mama, what's a promise ring?" Jiro inquired, glancing back and forth at his parents as they gaped at him.

"A what?" they yelled in unison.

"Isshin said he planned to give one to Allete."


	17. The Final Act

*Sigh* I have come to the end of another story. Gotta give another shout out to my favorite readers and cheerleaders xfang-girlx and Nila 101. Thanks gals! You've got another dedication here. I only hope the chapter is worthy.

* * *

The Final Act

Corbeau had retired as the Freak Show's angel on earth, giving that title to her daughter Allete after she graduated from high school and turned seventeen. She helped her husband run the Freak Show along with Ichigo and Sui Feng. Don Kanonji had become the barker only, relinquishing ownership of his beloved show to people he trusted. They had bought several hundred acres of land to make a permanent home for their show which had grown too big to travel anymore. They still had the side show which had added many acts after the belly dancers. Rides, games, food booths, and even a small circus had been bought and added to the show. All of the workers and performers lived on site in a huge compound of apartment buildings and single family homes complete with a medical center ran by Hana. It had become a city unto itself. Five years has passed since then.

Himawari and Hiro had gotten a married month ago. Unfortunately it was a shotgun wedding, complete with an actual shotgun that was held by Himawari's father, Ichigo, at the ceremony. No one bothered to call him a hypocrite. Too many years had passed since then and the kids were too young to remember the drama that had occurred over Isshin and his real mother so everyone let it lie in the past where it belongs. Seven months later they had a handsome boy with icy, almost colorless, blue eyes and lovely strawberry blond hair.

Soon after that, Corbeau began a battle with fatigue, unable to move any further than the living room on some days. Her feathers began to fall out and the wing bones were deteriorating at the tips then the decay was moving toward her body. Hana came to her by Renji's request when she refused to go to the on-site medical center to get checked out. He ordered that she be brought to medical center immediately.

"What's wrong with her, Hana?" Renji asked as they stared at Corbeau's pitiful, tattered wings.

Corbeau was lying on the examining table on her belly. She had already been given a sedative to put her to sleep for the procedure Hana was about to perform.

"They're dying," he answered, taking a deep breath before he added, "I need to cut them off."

"No! How can you say that? Hana – " He immediately stopped when the doctor put a hand on his shoulder and stared at him with tears in his blue eyes.

"I don't want to. I have to. They've become like a cancer. They're destroying themselves. I'm afraid if I don't take them off whatever is causing this will invade her body and kill her too," he explained.

"All right, Doc. I trust you," Renji said, kissing his unconscious wife before he left the room.

"Dad, what is it?" Allete asked when her father appeared in the waiting room.

Tears filled his eyes when she wrapped her wings around him just like her mother always had. He held his daughter while he murmured the news to her. A mournful howl escaped her throat when he explained that her mother's wings would be removed. Renji signaled for Isshin to come over and take her into his arms. He stepped back from the couple, never taking his eyes off of them. He watched as Isshin soothed and comforted his redheaded daughter that looked so much like her mother. His baby was no longer a baby at twenty one years of age. By the way her boyfriend held her, he knew there would be another wedding soon. Preferably without the shotgun.

* * *

Corbeau was in the master bedroom of their house staring at her wingless back in the oval mirror of her old dressing table. She was missing big part of her – the part that had defined her for most of her life. Her eyes skimmed over her smooth back that held no evidence that the wings were ever there except for two four inch ovals of light pink skin near her shoulder blades where the wings had grown out of her body. Hana had done a wonderful job of healing the scars. Tears trickled from her eyes and down her cheeks. She hoped the grieving would be over with soon. It had been a month since they had been removed. Hana had warned her that she would be depressed and experience a mourning process just like anyone does when they experience the loss of a limb. She sighed deeply and continued getting dressed.

A soft knock on her door escaped her attention she was so deep in thought. There was a louder knock with the voice of her daughter calling, "Mama? Mama! I need to talk to you."

"Come in, Allete," Corbeau told her, holding her arms out for her daughter who virtually fell into them.

"Mama, can you brush my hair?" she requested, looking at her mother with tears in her eyes.

Corbeau smiled although her heart was pounding with anxiety. She knew her daughter must really be upset about something. Starting when her daughter was a very young child, she would brush her hair and talk to her when she was distressed. This technique worked wonders when Allete was a teenager allowing her to open up and talk to her mother about anything. Allete had the shiniest, most beautiful hair by the time she was seventeen. What could possibly have the child this disturbed? Her mother grabbed the old fashioned hairbrush with the ornate silver handle, pointing to the chair at her dressing table for her daughter to sit down. She set to work brushing through the waist length hair that was just like the child's father's in its red color and nearly impossible thickness. Her eyes skimmed over the lovely iridescent black feathers of her daughter's wings. She forced back the tears and swallowed the lump in her throat. Now was not the time to feel sorry for herself.

"Mama, I love Isshin," Allete announced, running her fingers over the ornate markings on the handle of the hand held mirror matching the brush her mother was using.

Corbeau patiently waited for her daughter to continue as she brushed through her hair. She smoothed her hand over Allete's lovely wings, sighing loudly. Her mind had wandered back to when she stepped foot on the lot that day of the Freak Show so many years ago; so many in fact she could no longer remember the name of the town.

"_I want to be a part of your show,"_ she had said to the funny looking Don Kanonji. She smiled with the memory of the first time she had laid eyes on the eccentric, flamboyant man.

"_Listen, kid, you and everybody else wants to be a part of this show. You don't look like a freak to me. You're a very pretty girl,"_ he had replied in attempt to quickly dismiss her.

That was the day she finally found her lifelong family. That was day she found her husband, Renji.

"He asked me to marry him," Allete blurted out suddenly.

"What?" Corbeau asked, meeting her daughter's gaze in the mirror.

"Isshin asked me to marry him, Mama. He's talking to Daddy right now so I wanted to talk to you. I want to be his wife. I love him," she repeated the sentiment with new tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I know you do, baby. I know you do," her mother said, stroking her hair.

"CORBEAU! ALLETE!" Renji's voice boomed through the house.

"Oh, god," Corbeau groaned, tightening her grip on the brush.

"Dad's home. Apparently, the talk did not go very well," Allete sighed, rolling her eyes. She loved her father dearly but he could be a tad…over-reactive.

The two women waited patiently as he continued bellowing their names. Finally the panicked redhead appeared in the doorway. His torso was bare and covered with sweat and blood. He had bruises on his face and cut on his left cheek below his eye.

"What the hell happened to you?" his wife yelled, taken aback by his horrendous appearance.

"If you think I look terrible, you should see Isshin," he quipped, actually smiling with satisfaction and pride for a moment.

"You have lost your damn mind," Corbeau muttered to be completely ignored by her husband.

"Allete, you're not pregnant are you?" he demanded, his shoulders moving up and down he was heaving for air so fiercely.

"DAD!" she screamed in horror. Her father always knew just the thing to say to embarrass her the most.

"Oh, Renji, really? You're the biggest idiot ever besides Isshin's father," his wife snapped at him.

"But he wants to marry her," he whined, dumbfounded. He was trying to be a good father, and he still gets into trouble?

"People still get married because they're in love, Dad! I'm not pregnant!," his daughter yelled indignantly, brushing past her father as she ran from the room.

"Renji, I swear! It seems like you'd be tired of the taste of shoe leather or have athlete's mouth after all these years from the many times you've stuck your foot in your mouth," Corbeau chided as she moved past him to go after their daughter.

"But I…" He scratched his head wondering what the hell had just happened. Seems like he got most of his mental exercise jumping to conclusions, and he had definitely jumped to the wrong one that time. "Dammit!"

* * *

The big event was to take place at the private park in the center of the compound which was a short walk from Allete's home. She and several of her friends had decorated the gazebo with red ribbons and long lengths of white satin material. Her bouquet was a dozen red and white roses like her mother's had been. The guys had set up all of the chairs for the guests while the women were busy decorating. After the simple preparations, everyone went home to get ready for the ceremony.

Corbeau helped her daughter into the backless wedding dress that had been altered to accommodate her wings. Allete would be wearing a white dress and rightfully so, much to the delight of her father. The dress was plain white silk with red piping around the edges. It reminded Corbeau of the dresses women wore in the fifties with the tight, fitted top then the skirt that flared out complete with a red crinoline petticoat. She would be wearing red patent leather ballerina shoes because high heels would sink down into the grass making her trek to the gazebo an awkward torture. She was already nervous so she did not need anything else to make it difficult for her to walk up the aisle. Today, she would become Allete Kurosaki.

Corbeau was putting the finishing touches on her daughter's hair. She carefully positioned the tiara she had worn on her wedding day on Allete's head. A smile spread across her face as she looked at her daughter's reflection in the mirror.

"Sweetheart, you look like an angel," she said, tears springing to her eyes.

There were two reasons she wanted to cry: one because she was the mother of the bride and two because of the sudden flood of memories of Sajin. Corbeau had not thought about him in years. He had always called her Angel. Only one time in the many years he knew her did he ever speak her real name. She was always his Angel. He had been her beloved wolfman. She closed her eyes to stop the rampaging thoughts. Today was not the day for a trip down memory lane. Today was a day for looking forward to the future.

* * *

Three years later a baby was born. It was a baby girl with orange hair and brown eyes. It was a very special baby girl because one day she would be just like her mother and grandmother. One day, she would have wings.


End file.
